Web 2.Oh That Hype!

Let’s face it: the 2.0 in Web 2.0 means nothing. It is just O’Reilly Media hype and people far more web savvy than me think so too such as the inventor of ‘Web 1.0’

“Web 1.0 was all about connecting people. It was an interactive space, and I think Web 2.0 is of course a piece of jargon, nobody even knows what it means. If Web 2.0 for you is blogs and wikis, then that is people to people. But that was what the Web was supposed to be all along. [...] The idea of the Web as interaction between people is really what the Web is. That was what it was designed to be as a collaborative space where people can interact.”

(Berners-Lee cited in Black, 2007, p. 3)

All that has happened is the natural evolution of the web has occurred. John Dvorak of PC Magazine states, (as cited in Black 2007), “The tools that allow people to do things for themselves are simply getting more efficient. The Web 2.0 products, such as podcasts and blogs, are all built on technology from the early 1990’s.” (p. 4).

The ultimate problem I have with the idea of Web 2.0 is that its start date and first product are far from what would have been the first real revolution of the web that turned it from a niche communication device for nerds to the tool for everyone. If an honest appraisal was made by O’Reilly Media, we would be at Web 5.0 or beyond by now. Also, has there been any acknowledgement of when we shall hit the 3.0 or what that may look like. The semantic web is looking to steal that moniker for itself (Smart 2010) but will O’Reilly acknowledge that and throw conferences its way?

In my estimation the term Web 2.0 is hype and the technologies are the ones identified as O’Reilly Media as successful. Their success and imposed shared elements such as web as platform, harnessing collective intelligence, data is the next Intel inside, end of the software release cycle (perpetual beta), lightweight programming models, software above the level of a single device and rich user experiences (O’Reilly, 2005) are why O’Reilly has deemed to label them Web 2.0. I believe that as more successful products emerge so too will O’Reilly’s Web 2.0 definition to incorporate them. However, if you are like me and define it as hype, remember, “those who object to the term, for whatever reason, should be careful not to dismiss the trends and messages along with the label.” (Miller, 2006, p. 1).

Works Cited

Black, E. L. (2007). Library 2.0 and beyond: Innovative technologies and tomorrow's user. (N. Courtney, Ed.) Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

Miller, P. (2006). Library 2.0: The challenge of disruptive innovation. Talis. Retrieved from http://www.capita-libraries.co.uk/resources/documents/447_Library_2_prf1.pdf

O'Reilly, T. (2005, September 30th). What Is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software. Retrieved from O'Reilly: http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html

Smart, J. (2010, May). How the television will be revolutionized: The future of the iPad, internet TV, and Web 3.0. Retrieved from http://accelerating.org: http://accelerating.org/downloads/SmartJ-2010-HowTVwillbeRevolutionized.pdf