This above statement is with me for years, (I drew this conclusion in PAINT, so you calculate the date) but now I think it starts to emerge in a noticable way in the evolution of the internet. Knowledge and information are muliplying. The need to locate this in an way that can be managed with a minimum of energy is growing.
Two evolutions collide here. And maybe this is the new synergy.
FIRST. As allways some people know more about some topic then others. This leds to the point that it is easier to ask them then to know it all. The experts are born.
SECOND. Groups of people sharing certain interests is not new either. Action groups, pressure groups, lobby clubs, consumer platfoms, political parties, etc., etc. In the same time the internet connects us all better then ever before.
SO: The combination of accessible experts AND organised groups focused on certain topics might lead to a new dynamic. Mutual stimulation of both developments could change the whole social landscape. Any interest with enough supprt can has access to all the knowledge and information it needs. This new acces to the best insights will boost our evolution, starting in the virtual realm of the internet...