I've definitely felt and experienced the situation you're describing, but I think you might be painting with too broad a brush. Sources like ArXiv, Google Scho

I've definitely felt and experienced the situation you're describing, but I think you might be painting with too broad a brush. Sources like ArXiv, Google Scholar, and Semantic Scholar have made it really easy for me to access tons of deep, academic/professional level knowledge in my field instantaneously and for free. I know that Physics, Math, and Computer Science are relatively uniquely privileged when it comes to ArXiv, but even paywalled journals are more accessible in the internet age than they were before. I'm even able to find public-released technical info from the DoD through DTIC that I don't think I would ever know what to request without having it come up through search engines. Likewise, tons of undergrad classes through MIT and the Ivies are available for free on Youtube; more still are available with exercises and some form of certification through services like Coursera, EdX, and Udacity. Some graduate and professional-level courses are starting to come online through these institutions as well; the Institute for Advanced Study has started releasing its lectures on Youtube over the past few years. I can find manuals for my car, my appliances, and all my electronics online. I have access to all sorts of do-it-yourself how-tos on Youtube when I want to do work around the house. I have StackOverflow for when I have challenges with programming languages and tools that aren't clear from the docs, and the rest of the StackOverflow network when I have questions that are more specific to my problem domain. There's more throughout all sorts of fields: instant translations with Google translate and langauges lessons through DuoLingo, Rosetta Stone, et al; music lessons on Youtube, etc. Again, I've been through the experience where some older materials just aren't as available as I'd like, and where the normal search tools only bring you part of the way. But I think you're taking a lot for granted here.