There is a new knowledge order where people receive information "miscellaneously" instead of in a hierarchical organization. In the physical world, things can be in only one place at a time; however, in the virtual world of the Internet, things can be sorted in any way a user wants to find them.
"ever, in this week's HBR IdeaCast (see audio player below), Weinberger says that the online world demands that we invent new ways of organizing and new ways of thinking about how things may relate to each other. Items that might never be found together in the physical can now be brought together online -- based on whatever criteria suits the needs of a customer. "
"New Paradigm: The internet has radically altered the information paradigm by inverting the traditional "pyramid" model which generates, controls and leverages information; it is therefore fundamentally democratic. "
Digital content organization is no longer limited to librarians and other experts. The National Archives encourages the public to tag archives: "Our hope is that crowdsourcing tags will enhance the content of our online catalog and help you find the information you seek more quickly."