Web 2.0: Our Cultural Downfall?

Librarians, including American Library Association president Loriene Roy, are finding new ways to reach their constituents with social networking (see "Living the Virtual Library Life," LJ 10/1/07, p. 24). [...]after I heard Keen's keynote presentation at the recent International Association of STM Publishers in Frankfurt, Germany, and read his book on the long flight home, I recognized a kernel of truth in his arguments, which resonate with librarians' continued challenge to help users find accurate, reliable information. Keen might see this as one of the most pervasive dangers of social networking-the seductive power that leads even those professionals tasked with creating, collecting, and distributing high-quality information to become early adopters and firm supporters of "the cult of the amateur."