Many of us have had the experience of calling in to a government office or bank and having to go through layers of computerized voices before finally getting to a live person. Worse yet, if one is trying to reach a top-level decision-maker, there are often layers of gatekeepers between one and that person. Sometimes, with the growing automation of online learning, I think this may well be the scenario in trying to reach a live expert in a particular field.

Chasing ---

In our undergraduate years, one may have wanted to have a conversation with an instructor only to find that person cushioned by layers of TAs and RAs and assistant professors and secretaries and office assistants. At the U. of Washington where I earned two undergraduate degrees and one graduate degree, I spent quite a few of my years there trying to see a professor I admired. I went during his office hours. I contacted him by phone and left messages. In my five years there, I never saw him once.

The Technological Cocoon

Online technologies, while making people more accessible in some ways (e.g. Tim Berners-Lee once emailed me back albeit only to say no on a project), also may cocoon others from real human contact.

Paying to Talk to the Minds

I recall a private West Coast university of global renown that charges moneys (tens of thousands of dollars per company) for companies to access the brain trust of their faculty for consulting purposes. And that's only to get the introductions. Actual consulting work comes with hefty fees. Real people reaching out through online technologies may sound like natural language AI programs, and breaking through to the actual un-augmented "you" may get harder and harder...and likely more expensive for learners.