Sherry Turkle responds to Rushkoff

Expertise:

Some of what gives current expertise a bad name is that those who hold it are not exempt from being gutless, self-serving, and self-deceiving. Did people who understood markets know that loans were being made to people who did not deserve to get loans. Well, yes. But money was to be made, justifications were made, new instruments conceived that masked risk, and at a certain point, it would seem that experts began to believe their own justifications. But they did have an expertise and to conflate unprofessional expert behavior with lack of expertise would be unfortunate. But it happens, routinely.

One of the unfortunate aspects of crumbling of media institutions that used to support expertise is that experts become more isolated and underutilized. A great reporter cannot, cannot support themselves doing a blog because it actually takes serious money to support a serious reporting job.

The rise of the amateur can invigorate a culture. But traditionally, part of being an amateur meant that you knew you were not a professional. You did not have a professional's responsibility, commitments, accountability. The danger is a new hybrid identity where amateurs aspire to take the responsibilities of professionals. Not good.

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