In this new media environment transdiciplinarity entails the sharing of knowledge within different disciplines. Today's technologies facilitate this sharing of knowledge through relative ease. Perhaps this ease also results in collaboration between disciplines, which without the use of technology would find it very difficult to exchange concepts and techniques. The technology serves as a bridge.
Transdisciplinarity brings to light the question – who becomes the subject matter expert? When teachers, educators, critics, artists and curators are all collaborating on a particular project or initiative, is the expertise then based on the collective wisdom of all the people involved or do we still have clear cut answers as to who holds the knowledge in relation to a particular concept or technique? Maybe we are now living in a world in which subject matter expert is closely linked to who can best use technology to become the expert on a particular topic. New media affords us access to a great deal of knowledge. It remains to be seen whether we take that knowledge and we simply become more knowledgeable or do we then create so called experts, with all of us knowing a little bit about everything but very little about something.
The collaboration within transdisciplinarity requires a solid understanding and appreciation of the various disciplines that are present-their values, standards and means in which they conduct their work. This is also the same within publishing. When all of these disciplines are sharing knowledge, there needs to be a valid and efficient way in which this knowledge is compiled, shared and archived.
Your post made me think of the topic "Gov 2.0", the blend of government and social media/web 2.0. When someone mentions to me that they're interested in that, the first thing I wonder is which half their expertise is greater in.
ReplyDeleteThe field itself is growing with politicians and administrators getting into it. More and more conferences are being set up (http://www.gov2summit.com/gov2010) around the world.
The current events in Tunisia (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12157599) have created an interesting discussion on the web. Some are calling it a Twitter revolution while others contest that. Ethan Zuckerman has a piece about that here (http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/01/14/the_first_twitter_revolution).
In this case, who would be a better source of knowledge? The web 2.0 crew or those with a political science/government background?