The Danger of Trusting an Amateur

            In The Cult of the Amateur: how today’s Internet is killing our culture, Andrew Keen discusses the Web 2.0 revolution and how the “noble amateur would democratize the dictatorship of expertise” (p. 35).  He defined amateur as someone lacking credentials or not making money in their field of interest.  Keen argues that this revolution has led to a cult of the amateur, where those who know the least ‘persecute’ those who know the most (p. 43).  Keen disagrees with Wales who states everyone should be given equal voice regardless of their reputations or qualifications.  Keen claims that content created by these amateurs threaten the very center of professional institutions.  He questions how we can trust such content when the writers are not held accountable for producing accurate or reliable information.

            This cartoon is set in a surgical unit at a hospital where the doctors seem clueless to how to operate.  The caption beneath the comic tells the nurse to go on the Internet and search what to do next.

            The comic verifies Keen’s argument that the Internet is full of amateurs and our society puts too much trust in their content online.  Because of this, we are replacing experts with amateurs, which reduce experts’ jobs and value.  This artist is also insinuating that not only have we replaced experts’ jobs online, but also replaced professionals’ jobs in ‘the real world.’  This can be quite problematic when we rely on professional assistance for a number of things, especially health.  We must not undervalue experts’ skills because the consequences may lead to a world full of amateurs who lack accountability.