How will we recognize an Expert without a Bookshelf?

Posted on by

I was just watching a video about online marketing and SEO competition and then it came to me.

How will one be able to recognize an expert in the not so far future without the bookshelf he or she is sitting in front of?

When we see an expert for just about anything on television or on the internet these days this expert will most likely be sitting in front of a bookshelf which you can see in the background. This indicates us “This is an expert. Look at all these books on the shelf.” This is true for politicians who give interviews in their office or at home, professors in their universities, lawyers who have the standard works on their desk and so on.

But how will we be able to recognize them when books are just a relict from the past? Will they have an iPad in the shelf? Do we recognize them by the apps they are using? Or will they display their virtual bookshelf on the screen? 

Related Posts
Related Posts Slider

If you enjoyed this post, subscribe to the free EDUKWEST Newsletter and get updates via email.

With the subscription to the EDUKWEST Newsletter you will get
  • early access to upcoming interviews
  • news updates and reports
  • job listings in education 2.0
  • other exclusive perks

Your Email Address:

We respect your privacy and hate spam as much as you do. EDUKWEST will never sell, reveal or trade your email address.

  • Pingback: Kirsten Winkler

  • Pingback: Kirsten Winkler

  • ChinaMike

    My guess- we will recognize experts by what they produce; not what they consume.

    • http://kirstenwinkler.com KirstenWinkler

      Well, I think that's not different from today. The question is: how do you make a picture out of it? Sitting in front of a bookshelf = expert in picture language. If there aren't no books anymore, what is the picture?

      • chinamike

        Hmm, if the old visual metaphor of expertise is like the water being held back by a dam, the new visual metaphor is the water pouring of of that damn, filling rivers, and being diverted into thousands of steams that water millions of fertile fields.

        • http://kirstenwinkler.com KirstenWinkler

          Hard to get on tape :)

  • Franck

    Hmm – as so often in today's world – image over substance. There is another question – what is an expert these days. I remember back in the 80's we were all “Managers”. Now we are all “Experts”.

    • http://kirstenwinkler.com KirstenWinkler

      Or Gurus, Ninjas and Evangelists. August Flanagan wrote an interesting post about the difference of “small business owner” and “entrepreneur” when doing phone calls.