Most people have forgotten the meaning behind traditional or religious festivals

 
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January 1, 2020 
71.
 
Sharing information 
Some people believe that it is good to share as much information as possible in 
scientific research, business, and the academic world. Others believe that some 
information is too important or too valuable to be shared freely. Discuss both these 
views and give your own opinion. 
The question of how much information relevant to various areas of scientific and academic 
research should be shared is becoming more and more important as the pace of 
technological innovation quickens and the internet allows for instant collaboration. In my 
opinion, information is a valuable, potentially dangerous asset and should only be shared 
freely in particular circumstances. 
Advocates of freely sharing information rightly argue that collaboration leads to faster 
results. This applies to scientists, who can help each by offering their individual research 
results, businesses, which can work together as long as they are not competitors on 
advertising or product development, as well as academics, who need fresh perspectives to 
push their work to higher plateaus. Take for example the potential for sharing information 
in the business world. Google has built their successful advertising business by working 
together with various companies and sharing information. Google collects a variety of 
statistics related to users including their location and interests. This information is shared 
with advertisers who can then better target ads for users. It allows the consumer to see 
more relevant products and services and the companies advertising to target their 
audience more efficiently. 
While there are decided advantages like the one mentioned above, information is still a 
valuable asset that individuals and companies should safeguard. In a perfect world, we 
might expect people to openly share everything they know but the social and economic 
constructions of our actual world make this a naive proposition. One interesting example of 
this is from a recent news article about Elon Musk where he explained why his rocket 
company SpaceX does not apply for patents on any new technology. He reasoned that his 
main competitors are governments, not private companies. If his company discloses its 
innovations then domestic and foreign governments can take advantage of the shared 
technology and potentially disrupt his business. This is just one example of how sharing 
can prove damaging in a capitalist society. 
In conclusion, though sharing might be a valid standpoint in a perfect world, it is not 
feasible under current global conditions. Instead of looking to increase sharing, 
governments should do more to support innovative companies and researchers. This will 
have a larger overall impact.

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