A work that reveres the uninformed polemic

Abstract

In 2007, foreign and Brazilian newspapers rejoiced in offering top headlines to British businessman and journalist based in the United States, Andrew Keen, on behalf of The Cult of the Amateur, a book in which he criticizes the "great seduction" of the Web 2.0. It appears to establish a welcome polemic in these times of unconditional glorification of the "wisdom of the multitude," both in media and in academia. After reading it, however, one can conclude that the only positive aspect in Keen's book is to have evidenced the need for a serious discussion about the status of knowledge and professionalism in contemporary culture.