There was a time when the expert threw one hell of a punch. The title had weight, swagger even. Expertism represented a depth of knowledge through experience, a level of research and professional commitment to an industry, or topic, so targeted we ranked it up with truth.
The idea was that the expert had done the work. They had dedicated time, interest, investigation, and fact-finding to the project. They were invested. Had banked careers and reputations on it. Natural of us to take notes. Crucially though, there were also standards involved. Most commonly the expert had a related academic and professional background. Their work was vetted. What they offered under the brand of their expertise, the products they endorsed or the information they put forth, could be held up to scrutiny and withstand some pushback.
Fast forward to the expansion of the internet. Collectively, we have never in history had access like we do now. Access to global information, to each other, to products, news, and media. We can read, watch a video, or listen to a podcast on almost any topic instantaneously. We can have virtually anything we want delivered express. The lines of dedicated professional sectors have blurred. Where you live, your culture, your work, and your influences still hold impact. In this modern world though, we are suddenly able to review, learn, and educate ourselves on almost anything, to the edge of mastery. We are self-taught with the opportunity, from anywhere, to voice that knowledge or insight back out as desired, bouncing off a massive global audience.
It all prompts the question: is this the death of the expert?
When I was growing up in the luxury fashion and beauty game, next to no one had cell phones, the internet took time to load, and most definitively, business was conducted with a different level of trust and respect for even perceived expertise. As an artist with M.A.C. Cosmetics, a consultant with internationally emerging brands, through my studies and work in Milan – it was a different time and perhaps we trusted more because our society was built differently, perhaps in the absence of other options.
If I look back with nostalgia on the ways classic expertism does not exist anymore, I can also shift my perspective to see that it has evolved into some good. The court of public opinion has taken over, no doubt. We are quick to question, to investigate on our own, to want more than one viewpoint. We know that if information is power, the power has never been so widely there for the taking. Everyday we have a chance to connect in ways we could not before, an option for macro curiosity, a greater scale for learning, a confidence that comes with knowledge. The expert has become a more fluid idea, and with it, the potential to also be more, do more, go further. Even if only for personal interest. The caveat, or the trade, of letting go of the trust, that relationship we had, is the mindfulness that pseudo-experts are not always held to rigorous standards. No change comes without cost, so there is a sense of ownership now, in our brave new world, to keep aware of the source of your information. Fair enough.
These days there are details I continue to trust to the experts, in the traditional sense of the word. Admittedly though, I also find myself putting more and more stock in the new school experts, living their research, ranking products, digging into the information, keeping things fresh. In many ways, I fall into that category myself.
And make no mistake, when I say something is good, you best believe it.