Information Silos

Except for the time in which the human population was so small that there were no divergent opinions (think Adam all alone in the Garden of Eden), there has never been an era in which there has not been some semblance of information siloing. In ages past, information silos existed because the barriers to sharing ideas were geographic.

As webs of interaction grew and geographic barriers fell, opportunities to share information and ideas grew. The silos remained because the interactions were infrequent. As interactions became more frequent, the hope was that information could be shared more frequently, people could learn the same things, and come to the same conclusions. However, lots of different people with different ideas were all working with the same thought on those different ideas. As a result, enclaves and groups with different philosophies grew up and were maintained within their information silos. 

In the present, information silos exist because there is too much information available. People have the ability to filter out and exclude information. Indeed they must do so in order to not become paralyzed through information overload. Observers & commentators frequently lament the existence of these information silos because they reinforce differences. But they also lament the fact that their competitors hold sway in their information silo, so do not have that audience over which to exercise influence, through which to gain more influence, and potentially make more money. And whatever you do, don't let them kid you. It's about the money.