From Hieroglyphs to Hyperlinks: Why Knowledge Management Is as Old as Time and Not a New Phenomenon
History provides ample evidence that humans leveraged various tools for thought and knowledge management practices to facilitate their knowledge work and to achieve various goals (see for instance the impressive personal knowledge management timeline by Aldrich, 2024)
(Siegel, 2024)
Fact First
Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) is often portrayed and perceived as a modern phenomenon, especially in the context of the so-called digital age and the information age. However, the roots of PKM are ancient, extending back to the earliest forms of human communication and record-keeping. This blog post aims to show that knowledge management is, in fact, as old as time.
Questionable Assumptions

This bar chart shows the results of a non-representative ad-hoc survey conducted among 29 students from various disciplines at German universities during NoteLabs’ last knowledge management workshop. It indicates that the participants have different opinions on the statement that personal knowledge management is a new phenomenon (1 = I do not agree at all; 7 = I fully agree).
New companies (e.g., ForteLabs), initiatives (e.g., Digital Fitness), projects (e.g. our own NoteLab), and publications (e.g., Siegel & Lohner, 2024) are drawing attention to this topic, which, we think, is a positive development. However, this may foster the misconception that PKM and corresponding tools and practices are new phenomena, especially among novices who do not yet consciously use them.
Misunderstanding PKM as solely a product of the digital age and information age can lead, among others, to falling for hypes and an overreliance on technology for knowledge management and neglecting the importance of knowledge management related competencies.
Some Remedies
Consider these remedies to overcome this questionable assumption:
- Beware of Hypes. Watch out for warning signs of hypes around PKM philosophies, tools, and techniques such as substantial exaggeration of claims of effectiveness, excessive appeal to authorities or gurus, or claims to fit all purposes or persons (Meichenbaum & Lilienfeld, 2018).
- Historical Awareness. Recognizing PKM as an ongoing, evolving practice that combines traditional methods of knowledge cultivation with more modern technological tools is crucial. Historical education (Westberg, 2021) is essential to recognize potential hypes, bandwagons, and supposed “panaceas” (Örtenblad, 2015). When it comes to PKM, we are standing on the shoulders of all the people that came before us: from forms of proto-writing in the Lascaux Caves (35000 BCE) over hieroglyphs in ancient Mesopotamia (3400 BCE) over a wooden filing cabinet for storing slips of paper by Thomas Harrison (1640) over Luhmann’s Zettelkasten (Luhmann, 1992) to hypertext and modern tools for thought (Aldrich, 2024).
- Focus on Concepts: When it comes to PKM, emphasize concepts and the process of note-making rather than the tools themselves. Understanding mental models, making sense of ideas and accumulating conceptual knowledge is more important than familiarity with (every shiny) new tool and corresponding product or version knowledge (Döbeli Honegger, 2024).

Concluding Thoughts
The innovations in personal knowledge management are sparse and far between
(Zijlystra, 2024)
KM is as old as time, representing a continuation and evolution of ancient practices of learning and knowledge sharing. At its core, PKM is about an individual’s engagement with information and knowledge. It involves acquiring, understanding, and applying information in a way that is meaningful to the individual’s goals and context. While the essence of PKM remains constant, new tools such as Obsidian, Lattics, or Roam Research introduce features like bidirectional linking, making PKM accessible even to those without specialist IT knowledge and skills. These modern tools bring PKM into the mainstream, bridging ancient practices with modern technology. As Nakash and Bouhnik (2021) note, KM “has changed its appearance. And it will continue to change.”
Related Questionable Belief
A common related questionable belief is that tools for thought are primarily digital note-taking apps. However, basically everything that has the potential to aid our thinking, e.g., written language, drawings, spreadsheets could be considered a tool for thought (Altshuler, 2022; see infographic).

Comments? Questions? Feedback?
Your thoughts and feedback are welcome. To what extent do you use old and/or new tools and more traditional and/or more modern knowledge management practices for your knowledge work?
References
- Aldrich, C. (2024). Personal knowledge management timeline. Boffosocko https://boffosocko.com/2024/03/22/55822161/
- Altshuler, A. (2022). What exactly are Tools For Thought? Andrew Altshuler https://www.altshuler.io/tft-4-what-exactly-are-tools-for-thought/
- Döbeli Honegger, B. (2024). Was will uns ChatGPT sagen? Pädagogik, (3), 34–38.
- Luhmann, N. (1992). Kommunikation mit Zettelkästen. Ein Erfahrungsbericht. In A. Kieserling (Hrsg.), Universität als Milieu. Kleine Schriften, 53–61. Haux.
- Meichenbaum, D., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2018). How to spot hype in the field of psychotherapy: A 19-item checklist. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 49(1), 22–30. https://doi.org/10.1037/pro0000172
- Nakash, M., & Bouhnik, D. (2021). Knowledge management is not dead. It has changed its appearance. And it will continue to change. Knowledge and Process Management, 28(1), 29–39. https://doi.org/10.1002/kpm.1655
- Örtenblad, A. (Ed.). (2015). Handbook of research on management ideas and panaceas: Adaptation and context. Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Siegel, S. T. (2024). Personal knowledge management is dead. Long live PKM!? NoteLab. Developing Ideas through Evidence-informed Note-making. https://notelab.hypotheses.org/1367
- Westberg, J. (2021). What we can learn from studying the past: The wonderful usefulness of history in educational research. Encounters in Theory and History of Education, 22. https://doi.org/10.24908/encounters.v22i0.14999
- Zijlstra, T. (2024). The innovations in PKM are sparse and far between. Interdependent Thoughts. https://www.zylstra.org/blog/2024/04/the-innovations-in-pkm-are-sparse-and-far-between/
Nur der Text ist unter der Lizenz Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International nutzbar. Alle anderen Elemente (Abbildungen, importierte Anhänge) sind „Alle Rechte vorbehalten“, sofern nicht anders angegeben.
OpenEdition schlägt Ihnen vor, diesen Beitrag wie folgt zu zitieren:
Dr. Stefan T. Siegel (18. Juni 2024). From Hieroglyphs to Hyperlinks: Why Knowledge Management Is as Old as Time and Not a New Phenomenon. Note Lab. Abgerufen am 21. Mai 2026 von https://doi.org/10.58079/126hq
