Certainly, the internets and TV have made a huge range of knowledge available to people who, previously, would have to read books to get the same. Young people who utilize these technologies today almost casually know about things I, as a child and young adult, felt was "exotic knowledge." Of course, as with most things, the vast majority use them for other purposes, primarily social, but that doesn't detract from the availability of huge stores of knowledge. And God, I'm certainly addicted to travel videos, for example, as I have all of Michael Palin's works on DVD.Originally Posted by Shannon
However, I still don't think that these really provide a full substitute for actually being there. A Samantha Brown travelogue of China may be interesting, and provide a certain level of overview that one previously derived from books. But actually walking around HK, and presumably Beijing and Shanghai, talking to people, observing the customs and mores in detail, teaches you so much more about the everyday concerns and issues of the people than can any book, travelogue, or internet site.
