Go Forth and Disseminate...

What do we mean when we talk about the dissemination of research? The word itself, disseminate means (1) to spread abroad as though sowing seed, and (2) to disperse without (Merriam-Webster, 2015). So, when we talk about the dissemination of knowledge or research, we're really talking about the spreading out or disbursement of ideas.

There is no arguing that the internet has fundamentally changed the ease with which we interact with, acquire and disseminate information and knowledge. As an educator (and budding researcher), this paradigm shift is essential to our understanding of, and interaction with, academia. The internet has transformed the industry of education from a model of scarcity to one of abundance."Abundance changes the basic assumptions of business, violating that old conventional wisdom that scarcity equals value" (Michalski, 2010). Knowledge is no longer scarce and value is better defined by our ability to trust the source of our information rather than the difficulty  of its acquisition.  This is the basis of the argument that Michalski (2010) builds to justify what he has coined as the Relationship Economy; an economy based on trust, openness, and the building of communities.

In his blog article What is a Relationship Economy, Michalski states that successful companies will be ones that are able to build "authentic relationships with their clients" (Michalski, 2010) and are able to trust their customers with being able to make their own choices. This sentiment is echoed by Suarez (2003) in his article Giving Up Control in an Era of Open Business. Using the examples of the television and music industries, Suarez highlights the need to trust audiences to know what they want, how they want it and when they want it. Giving up control and trusting the consumer is essential for success in today's relationship economy (Suarez, 2003).

So why is this relevant to education and research? I have always felt that education is based in building relationships... that it is not just about the pushing out of information.  However, academia has a reputation for being highly institutionalised and, like the music and television industries, could learn a few lessons about trusting its customers. But are we ready to relinquish control? What would a new academia look like if it were to reinvent itself to meet the needs of the relationship economy? I believe that we are at the cusp of a massive paradigm shift with the development and use of open resources, MOOCS, big data, academic blogs and twitter feeds. No longer are universities, colleges and academic journals acting as gatekeepers to the dissemination of knowledge. Academics are finding and using their own voices in creative new ways and expanding their reach to global audiences.

These are exciting times and we are part of this era of transformation. As Kevin Spacey states in his Keynote address at the Edinburgh Television Festival, if we give our audience (clients, students, customers... insert the right pronoun here) what they are looking for, they will "engage with it with a passion and an intimacy that a blockbuster movie could only dream of. All we have to do is give it to them" (Spacey, 2013).

So, go forth and disseminate!

References:

Disseminate. (2015). In Merriam-Webster's online dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disseminate
Michalski, J. (2010, June 4). What is the Relationship Economy? [Weblog post]. Retrieved from http://therexpedition.com/?s=What+is+the+Relationship+Economy
Suarez, L. (2013, Sept. 3). Giving up control in the Era of Open Business [Weblog post]. Retrieved from http://www.elsua.net/2013/09/03/giving-up-control-in-the-era-of-open-business/
The Telegraph. (2013). Spacey urges TV channels to give control to viewers [Video]. The Telegraph. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/P0ukYf_xvgc