I had the same reaction to the Keen article. I have a roommate who has pretty much convinced me of the exact opposite--that the Internet has opened outlets of information, creativity, and community that had suffered under the cult of the professional. As one example, he cites the fact that people a hundred years ago used to gather in living rooms to play music and sing together, because that's all that was available. Ability to carry a tune was the only prerequisite. Then they listened to the radio together, then with their headphones on, separately, and a select few could afford to sit and listen (quietly, in their own separate worlds, lest a fistfight break out!) at symphony hall. When we sat down in the living room to play together, suddenly we were comparing ourselves to Joshua Bell, and it just didn't seem fun anymore. Maybe we had more culture and taste. But it was no longer about communication and individual creativity, the self growing and nurturing the soul in the company of others. It's true that we now spend a lot of time sitting in front of our monitors. But rather than being limited to what we type into our PC or what some professional software company entertains us with, we have lines of communication with people who share common interests we would be unlikely or unable to encounter in real life. Up with the cult of the amateur!