How to Learn Anything on the Internet?
On using the internet as a learning tool to learn about the people that inspire you.
I think the Internet is a powerful tool for any one that loves learning.
In this essay I want explore how you can learn about the lives and careers of people that inspire you by using certain tools and websites on the Internet
In the first part of this essay I will explore the idea of a Learning Superstructure.
In the second part of this essay I want to do an in depth investigation of Adam Grant’s career as a researcher, professor, writer and speaker.
In the third part of this essay I will look at how you can learn from other people’s journey as professionals by using Internet tools like ChatGPT, Personal Websites, Linkedin, Instagram, Twitter, Google Scholar, Goodreads, Podcasts, Substack and Youtube.
What is a Learning Superstructure?
A Learning Superstructure is a list of people that have had an influence in shaping your view of the world from a variety of different fields. This list includes a few words that describe the profession of the people on your list. This list can also include a link to one learning resource (video, article, paper, audio) that best represents the individual's work as a professional.
Here is a link to my first Learning Superstructure from 2014.
This list can include 10 people or more or less.
This list can change at different points in your life. It is a living list and evolves with you over time. It can change every year depending on where you are in your life.
The focus is to create a list of people that inspire you professionally.
These are people whose careers you would like to emulate over a long period of time.
These are people that have brought value to a large group of people through a product, service or creative offering.
Here are ten people from my Learning Superstructure in 2025:
Adam Grant - Organizational Psychologist, Writer
Malcolm Gladwell - Journalist, Writer
Maria Popova - Blogger, Writer
Amit Varma - Podcaster, Journalist, Writer
Raj Shamani - Podcaster, Entrepreneur
Alain De Botton - Philosopher, Writer
John Green - Teacher, Writer
Cleo Abram - Video Producer, Journalist
Ritiesh Agarwal - Entrepreneur, Investor
Kiran Bir Sethi - Teacher, Designer
As you make this list try to observe patterns that can help you understand yourself better.
Writing, Teaching, Entrepreneurship and Media Creation were common professional paths of the people I included in my list.
What does it say about my professional inclinations? What will making this list say about your professional inclinations?
How to learn from another person’s life?
I first started building this list in high school. The objective was to make a list of people who inspired me by their professional journey. Their journey would help me carve out a path for myself through the clues they left behind on their path. I would then spend some time studying the background of this individual using questions like,
Where did they grow up? What did they enjoy studying at school?
What did they study at university? Why did they study these subjects?
What did they study in an apprenticeship or informal learning programs? Why did they want to study these topics?
Who were some of their early mentors and professional influences? What was the professional background of the adults they grew up around?
What support systems enable them to flourish at a young age? (family, community, school, city)
What was their first job or real world professional experience?
What were some things they learned through these early experiences?
What support systems enable them to flourish at a in their 20s and 30s? (family, workplace, friends, unions, professional communities)
How would you imagine their career graph over a 20 to 30 year period? How would you imagine their long term career aspirations?
What skills and knowledge would they need to acquire and refine to grow in their chosen field of expertise over a period of time?
Using the Internet as a Learning Tool
You can also use the Internet as a learning tool to find more in depth answers to the above questions,
How you may ask?
Let us answer that question with another question.
Who do you want to learn about?
I want to learn about the career and main contributions of Adam M. Grant who is an organizational psychologist, academic researcher and writer. I want to learn about what he has created as a researcher and writer to add value to other people’s lives. I also want to learn about his early influences and the training he completed at university that helped him acquire the skills and knowledge to become a competent professional in his chosen field.
Here is how the Internet helped me find answers to this question.
Tool 1: Chat GPT
I first asked ChatGPT to summarize Adam Grant's career and major publications in a simple and detailed post? Here is the response I received
🎓 Who is Adam Grant?
Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist, bestselling author, and one of the world’s most influential thinkers on work and human behavior. He’s a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he has been teaching since he was 28 — making him the youngest tenured professor in Wharton’s history.
🔍 What does he do?
Adam studies how people find motivation, meaning, and creativity at work. He works at the intersection of psychology and business, exploring how we can create better leaders, stronger teams, and more generous workplaces. His research covers topics like giving and taking, original thinking, resilience, burnout, and rethinking beliefs.
He also hosts the chart-topping TED podcast “WorkLife”, writes for major publications, and is a highly sought-after speaker and consultant for organizations worldwide — from NASA to the NBA.
📚 Major Books by Adam Grant
Give and Take (2013) + Goodreads Book Link
Big Idea: Success isn’t just about talent or hard work — it’s about how we interact with others. “Givers” (those who help without expecting anything in return) often outperform “takers” and “matchers” in the long run.
Impact: Changed the way people think about generosity at work.
Originals (2016) + Goodreads Book Link
Big Idea: Being original doesn’t mean being first — it means being different and better. Grant explores how anyone can champion new ideas and challenge the status quo, even in risk-averse cultures.
Fun fact: He uses examples from history, business, and pop culture (even Frozen makes an appearance!).
Option B (2017, co-authored with Sheryl Sandberg) + Goodreads Book Link
Big Idea: After experiencing loss, people can build resilience and “bounce forward.” The book combines personal stories and research to show how we find strength through hardship.
Note: Born out of Sandberg’s experience of losing her husband, it’s both deeply personal and widely applicable.
Power Moves (2019, Audible Original) + Goodreads Book Link
Big Idea: A short audiobook exploring how power is acquired, used, and shared — often in unexpected ways.
Think Again (2021) + Goodreads Book Link
Big Idea: Intelligence is about thinking — but wisdom is about rethinking. In a world that’s constantly changing, the ability to question your own beliefs is a superpower.
Why it’s important: Encourages curiosity, humility, and openness — crucial traits for personal and professional growth.
Hidden Potential (2023) + Goodreads Book Link
Big Idea: Our greatest untapped strength isn’t talent — it’s the ability to grow, adapt, and become better over time.
Key message: Potential isn’t fixed. It’s developed through effort, support, and the right environments.
Tool 2: Personal Website + Organization Profile Page
Adam Grant has a personal website where he updates his writing, podcasts, books and social media links. The About Page of a personal website is often a great starting point to learn about a person’s professional journey in their own words. You can explore the Speaking, Writing, Books, Podcasts and Quizzes sections by clicking the links in this sentence. Here are some clips from Adam Grant’s Personal Website.
He is the Saul P. Steinberg Professor of Management and a Professor of Psychology in the Management Department of the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has a profile on this university’s website where he lists out the courses that he teaches students. Adam Grant teaches MBA and undergraduate courses in leadership and teamwork, negotiation, and organizational behavior. Most professionals will have a similar page on their company or organization website to outline their role and major contributions to that group. Here are some clips from Adam Grant’s Organization Profile Page.
Tool 3: Linkedin
LinkedIn was founded in December 2002 by Reid Hoffman and a team of co-founders, and officially launched in May 2003 as a professional networking platform. Initially aimed at helping users build professional connections and find jobs, it quickly gained traction among business professionals. Today, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 1 billion users across 200+ countries. I think Linkedin is a really powerful tool to learn about the professional and educational history of an individual in a chronological manner. This information is often hard to access even on the personal website of the individual. Here are some clips from Adam Grant’s Linkedin Profile.
I first used LinkedIn to understand the education history of Adam Grant.
I then used LinkedIn to understand the professional history of Adam Grant.
Tool 4: Instagram
Instagram was launched in 2010 by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger as a photo-sharing app and quickly gained popularity for its sleek design and filters. Facebook acquired it in 2012, and it has since evolved into a major social media platform with features like Stories, Reels, and Shopping. I then explored his profile on Instagram. He had 1500+ posts on that platform as on April 2025. He often shares quotes or insights from his research on the platform. He also shares short clips or reels from his talks and sessions around the world. Another way to understand his world view was to review the people he follows and the imagining the possible connections he has to them. Here are some snaps from Adam Grant’s Profile on Instagram.
Tool 5: Twitter
Twitter was founded in 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams as a microblogging platform for short status updates. It became a global hub for real-time news and conversation, and was rebranded as "X" after Elon Musk acquired it in 2022. I then explored his profile on Twitter. He had 5000+ posts on his profile in April 2025. I noticed that he uses the platform to share a lot of insights from research studies he explores as an academic. You can also learn about the people he follows on the platform and find related writers and speakers as seen in the list below. Here are some snaps from Adam Grant’s Profile on Twitter.
Tool 6: Google Scholar
Google Scholar was launched in 2004 by a team led by Anurag Acharya to provide a freely accessible search engine for scholarly literature. It quickly became a vital tool for researchers, indexing academic articles, theses, books, and conference papers across disciplines. You can review his top academic papers on this platform and learn more about his background as a researcher here too. You can use the platform to understand the impact of his papers by looking at the number of times it has been cited by other researchers. Here are some snaps from Adam Grant’s Profile on Google Scholar. His three most impactful papers based on his Google Scholar Profile are:
The dynamics of proactivity at work by AM Grant, SJ Ashford in the Journal of Research in Organizational Behavior (28, 3-34) and published in 2008.
Does intrinsic motivation fuel the prosocial fire? Motivational synergy in predicting persistence, performance, and productivity. by AM Grant in the Journal of Applied Psychology (93 (1), 48) and published in 2008.
Relational job design and the motivation to make a prosocial difference by AM Grant in the Journal of Academy of Management Review (32 (2), 393-417) and published in 2007.
Tool 7: Goodreads
Goodreads was founded in 2007 by Otis and Elizabeth Chandler as a social platform for readers to discover, rate, and review books. It grew rapidly and was acquired by Amazon in 2013, becoming a key space for book lovers and authors to connect. I love using Goodreas to explore other book reviews for an author’s books by other readers that have read the same book. It helps expand and shape my perspective on the story or ideas presented in the book. Here are some snaps from Adam Grant’s Profile on Goodreads. I also include a picture of the Goodreads page for his 2021 book titled, Think Again. There are 8000+ reviews for this book on the platform and many go on for 500 words or more. There are lots of insights and notes about the book available for free as you read through these reviews. You also get to look at critical perspectives on his research thorugh the negative reviews on the platform.
Tool 8: Podcasts
Podcasts emerged in the early 2000s with the rise of portable audio devices and RSS feeds, allowing users to subscribe to and download episodic audio content. The format gained mainstream popularity by the 2010s, driven by hit shows like Serial and widespread smartphone adoption. The most popular podcasting platforms include Spotify and Apple Podcasts, offering wide accessibility and massive user bases. Other notable platforms like Amazon Music, Pocket Casts, and Overcast also serve niche audiences with curated features and cross-platform support. Aadam Grant hosts two podcasts titled Work Life (2018) and ReThinking (2021). There are 100+ free episodes to explore in these archives. Here are some snaps from Adam Grant’s Podcasts that you can access on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Tool 9: Newsletter
Newsletters began in the 16th century as printed bulletins for sharing news, evolving into email newsletters in the late 20th century with the spread of the internet. By the 2000s, they became a key tool for marketers, media outlets, and creators to reach audiences directly. Popular newsletter platforms include Substack, Mailchimp, and ConvertKit, known for their ease of use, analytics, and audience management tools. Others like Beehiiv, Revue (formerly Twitter-owned), and Ghost also cater to creators seeking customization and monetization options. Substack, launched in 2017, revolutionized the space by enabling writers to publish and monetize newsletters independently, sparking a boom in creator-led media. Adam Grant has actively written and published his newsletter since 2014 and you can explore his archives here. There are 200+ free newsletters to explore in these archives. Here are some snaps from Adam Grant’s Substack Newsletter.
Tool 10: Videos/Youtube
YouTube was founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim as a platform for sharing user-generated videos. It quickly grew in popularity and was acquired by Google in 2006, becoming the world’s largest video-sharing website and a hub for creators, media, and education. Adam Grant has a Youtube Channel where he has uploaded 33 videos by April 2025. However a simple search for Adam Grant on Youtube will give you access to 100’s of talks and interviews that he has completed on each of his books and his research since 2013. I linked some of these talks and interviews below. Here are some snaps from Adam Grant’s Youtube Channel.
What do you once your finish exploring all these resources?
Great. Now you are an expert on Adam Grant. What next?
Once you finish this cycle with the first person on your learning superstructure then you can get started on the second person on your learning superstructure. For me it was Malcolm Gladwell. For you it could be someone else.
The idea of creating this learning superstructure and using the Internet as a tool to learn about the people on this list is to get an understanding of each individual’s early experiences at school, training years at a university/college program and their work years as a professional. This can help you learn how you can build certain skills and knowledge that can help you grow in your career or business.
The people on my Learning Superstructure list have a very active social presence. So it is a lot easier to find information about their work on the Internet. It will be different for different people based on their profession and background. There are some professions where you do not have a need to share your work publicly. Linkedin or a Company Website is a good starting point for these professionals or individuals.
However writing this essay convinced me that the Internet can be a powerful learning tool to learning about anything and anyone that you are curious about as a learner. You just have to tap into the right platforms and access their work on the right websites. A lot of this information is available for free on the Internet and is waiting for a curious person to engage with the same.
Until next time,
Keep Learning.
Abhishek