The paper is reproduced her with the permission of the author.

 Web 2.0 has changed accessibility standards, bringing information down into the hands of the proverbial academic pauper and raising voices, opinions, and dialogue globally in an instantaneous time-frame. Kelty, et al. provides an elegant demonstration of the use of the Internet in anthropological research, opening a virtual dialogue which anchors the very substantial topic of copyright issues, piracy, and accountability in authorization. What is an interesting theme to draw from the conversation is the applicability of the subject matter to the every-day, specifically publishing, publishing rights, and education.

Drawing from personal experience, (as one can do within the Web 2.0 context given the personalization of information available), local indie publishers and the metamorphosis of the written word has shifted the demographics of readership, authorship, and ownership. My mother, with the use of the Internet, has launched a micro-publishing company; a feat not achievable upon it’s conception in 1980. With the use of the Internet, blogs, social networking via Twitter and Facebook, and the development of the eBook, this publishing company has been able to tap into the once monopolized publishing industry, selling books in Singapore, Australia, France, United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. From distributing books to bookstores from the trunk of her car, to world-wide sales, my mother has been able to cross the gap between elitist to accessible by building self-sufficient communities where knowledge is shared. Hilderbrand’s illustration of web-communities can be clearly seen at publishersweekly.com and quillandquire.com.

With the inception of micro-publishers and the eBook however, is the ever-growing shadow of copyright infringement and accountability in ownership. Any individual with a need for fame can publish their conceived truths, tainting the ethical standard of what is fact. As Christopher Kelly illustrates, “the issue of accountability, in the precise sense of having clear and explicit norms for which a person or an entity is obliged to take responsibility,” rings true and begs for the modernization of legislation.

Piracy, in the forms of p2p and bittorrents, lends hesitation to authors. But this has only caused a shift in marketing, reducing the sales of paperback novels amongst giants such as Barnes and Noble and Chapters/Indigo, shifting the marketing strategies of the written word to a digital format. Indeed, leviathans such as Sony have even hopped on the bandwagon of the fast-selling eReader. Amazon.com and it’s Canadian affiliate, Amazon.ca, have captured the world-wide digital-word market, linking book-sellers globally to the average mouse-clicking consumer. These files, once obtained within the PDF format, are easily shared and redistributed, infringing upon the authors’ copyrights, an issue recently brought forth in the House of Commons, with Bill C32. This is not the first time, however, this issue has been raised on a legislative platform. It would seem a solution is elusive.

With this open accessibility however, is the reformation of the educational system. Within the past decade resources for educational access have transformed from the traditional classroom setting, bringing the classroom into the home. Alexander highlights the online course management system, drawing attention specifically to a “digital flexibility” which students of the 21st century are growing accustomed to. In fact, even within my own educational time-frame, beginning my own degree in 1999, I have witnessed the classroom transcending from the traditional classroom/lecturer style to a digital forum of accessibility. Subject research can now be completed entirely from the comfort of my own home. This provides a greater range of subjects available to me within my own working schedule; a feat not possible upon the commencement of my degree.

Web 2.0, social networks, blogging, and online course management systems have brought a plethora of opportunities to individuals who otherwise would have never had the capabilities of achieving their goals. The publishing industry is facing its greatest reformation since the invention of the print-press. Accessibility is now a household term, as scholars and students, experts and hobbyists alike now have the ability to access critical resources. In fact, with the ongoing development of Project Gutenberg, the very classics of humanity are being preserved within the PDF format and are available for free download. Technology, it would seem, is preserving humanity. Anthropologists: take note.