Living as one mind, knowing nothing and everything at once

Recently, while procrastinating during the onset of finals, I discovered that the Encyclopedia Britannica, that great big set of books that once served as my only research source when doing projects in my elementary school days, will no longer be printed; instead, the entire collection of knowledge, which took 244 years to become what it is today, will be available online (check out this artice). Struggling to stay afloat in a society of people whose views on the dissemination of information seems to be shifting towards a free information society, the encyclopedia's website, http://www.britannica.com/, now offers a short two-week free trial, where users are allowed full access to the 120,000 articles. Users who wish to continue the service must pay $70 a year.

But in today's world, where the answer to any question is a smartphone search away, is it really necessary to pay for outside sources of knowledge? I think it’s time for the Encyclopedia Brittanica to realize the sad truth; they are no longer needed.

So what does this shift from material sources to virtual sources suggest about humanity? And what of the accessibility? The internet and mobile technology have revolutionized the way we behave, changing not only the way that knowledge is distributed to our society, but also how each individual thinks and functions on a day to day basis. With sites like Wikipedia always in our pockets, we never need to remember anything. Gone are the days of the learned scholar who sat and memorized – now nearly anyone can know anything at anytime. In this new technological age, we are moving towards a point where everyone knows nothing -- because they no longer need to remember facts -- and everyone knows everything --because they always have access to the collective mind of the internet.

In an incredibly interesting article (here) about the effect that the internet is having on the human brain, Nicholas Carr points out that the recent boom of the web is just another step on the long journey of innovation that started back when writing was invented (Plato wasn't too happy about that)-- and, just as simple-tech changed the way the brain functioned then, the internet will surely have some affect now. Either we are slowly losing our wits and are destined to be ruled by our own technology, or, as Carr puts it, "Perhaps . . . our hyperactive, data-stoked minds will spring a golden age of intellectual discovery and universal wisdom."

In any case, time will tell. The real question I have is this: If everyone can be assumed to know nothing and everything, how will literature adapt to fit its new readers?