DISTINGUISHED VISITOR: Media and Communication Discipline Seminar

Within the theme of culture and technology, and in the context of planetary-scale and population-wide digital connectivity, the paper discusses ‘open knowledge’ from the perspective of semiotic history and the history of ideas. I distinguish between two kinds of knowledge, which I trace back to pre-modern antagonisms: ‘productive’ or ‘armed’ knowledge; and ‘connective’ or ‘tribal’ knowledge. I argue that ‘open knowledge’ depends on a new synthesis of these types, which understands their difference and tension as a source of innovation. My aim is partly to show how important culture is in determining what knowledge means and who gets to share it; and partly to compare formal knowledge institutions (universities, publishing, libraries etc.) with informal knowledge systems (popular culture and social media). Can knowledge ever be ‘open’ if it is at once cultural and institutionalised? If so, then how should we model openness?