The Changing World of The World Wide Web

The Web has gone through two major transitions since its conception. And it has grown faster than almost anything on earth. It has made significant advancements in a short amount of time in terms of history. Technology is now being shaped by the Internet and Internet connectivity. It is commonplace to be able to surf the Web on your phone or buy an app from the Apple store in your car. The Internet has become a staple in human life.

The Advancement of the Web

The emergence of Web 2.0 took the iIternet by storm. It was like nothing anyone had ever seen before; it allowed people to do things that weren’t even thought of when Web 1.0 rolled out. I think the main objective of Web 2.0 was to get people to not only visit web pages, but revisit them multiple times in the future. Web 2.0 is described as the participatory web. This means that the user can interact with it as opposed to Web 1.0 where it was purely for reading consumption. With Web 2.0 people can write to web pages, sharing content like photos and video, review things like movies and books as well as comment on news threads. Web 3.0 is characterized by connecting the whole thing and making it more open, and in a way, smarter. Web 3.0 is often referred to as the semantic web.

I think Web 2.0 provided a lot more for users that Web 1.0 simply couldn’t even attempt to. It provided things like bookmarking, Wiki pages and RSS. Things like bookmarking and Wiki seem to be so simple nowadays that we take them for granted. But at one time these tools were groundbreaking. For example, in Web 1.0 days if you found an apple pie recipe that you loved, you would get out your favorite clicky pen and write it on a piece of paper, and then keep it somewhere where you know it wouldn’t go missing. But with the introduction of Web 2.0, keeping track of things via bookmarks made life so much easier. Now, it’s Web 2.0 and you again find a great apple pie recipe. Instead of getting that pen and paper, you can save that web page in your own private library on your computer which basically has infinite space. That recipe, along with many others on that website are at your fingertips whenever you desire. Simple things like this have made using the web an essential part of our lives. I think Web 2.0 has provided many positive things that we take advantage of on a daily basis. However, things like the amateurization of the Web is very negative. Now, anyone can post something to the Internet even if it is not true. This has been an enormous problem in this country’s latest presidential election.

I think Web 3.0 is taking us into an even more advanced, facilitating time period in terms of the Internet. It is being driven forward by technological changes within the structure of the Internet. Web 3.0 is described as the semantic web and that is all about the collection of data. The biggest advantage that Web 3.0 has given us is Google. Google allows us to find virtually any information that we want. The pros and cons of Web 3.0 are expansive.

What Stage of the Web Are We In Now?

Are we really in Web 3.0 already? Or are we, as a society, still in transition from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0? This question is a subject of debate among experts. It is accepted that it took somewhere around 10 years to fully transition from Web 1.0 to 2.0. By using that logic, we would have broken into the Web 3.0 stage in 2015. So it would be impossible to go from a 10 year transition to a 2 year transition. The line is blurred as to whether or not we actually broke that threshold. Web 3.0 has a heavy influence on connecting the world around us. There is no doubt that the internet is connected, but is our life outside of the Internet fully connected? Evidence suggests that we are still in a state of transition with that. For instance, you can now have a refrigerator that will live stream a video of the inside of the fridge to show you what you do and do not have at your house while you are at the grocery store. This kind of thing is the result of things being connected to wireless networks, which is the Internet. This is an example of Web 3.0 rearing its head, but not being fully assimilated. Not everybody has that kind of refrigerator, but they do exist. We can only say that we have completely graduated to Web 3.0 when everybody in your neighborhood has a fridge with a camera in it. When that kind of technology becomes commonplace, then we can say that Web 3.0 is completely born. Web 3.0 can also be described as a fundamental change in the way we use the web.

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Each Web evolution is marked by distinct characteristics. Web 1.0 is characterized by a static environment. It was only one way communication. The information was coming from the page to the reader only, the reader could not interact with the page. The page itself would also never change, it didn’t have other things to click on that would take you to a new page environment. What you saw was what you got. A lot of companies would have Web pages so people could read about the company and what it did or what it offered, and that was the only objective.

Web 2.0 was a big jump from Web 1.0. The biggest change was the fact that people could now interact with the Web. It marked the transition from a static environment, to interactive web pages. It also created amateurization among the Web. Meaning that anybody can put information on the internet regardless of it being true or false. This is still a big issue today. Social networking also became a thing in Web 2.0, Facebook, Twitter and Myspace were new things.

Web 3.0 is all about building upon what Web 2.0 started. It wants to make in the Internet more connected and efficient. It is characterized by technological changes. For example, Google and other search engines are more powerful than ever. And the Internet now collects data on its users to create a more streamlined experience. You can search for a used car on eBay and then go on Google, and get a sidebar ad for that specific kind of car; all because the computer now knows what you have been looking for.

It is ultimately up to the individual about whether or not the internet and its various stages has made either a positive or negative impact on life. Whether or not people like the Internet and social media, they cannot deny that it is here to stay; and it will only get bigger and play a more important role in everyday life at home, work, and leisure.

Social Media is an Above Ground Minefield

I first used social media when I was a freshman in high school. I really only used Facebook at the time because that was the biggest and most popular social media platform. Facebook was back then what SnapChat is now. A lot of my friends and family had it. I was very late to join social media, by the time I joined everyone had been on it for a year or so already.

Social media is as intrusive as you make it. As of right now the only social media platforms that I use are Facebook and Instagram. It can be very intrusive towards your personal and professional life if you’re not careful about what you post. I follow a lot of personal photography accounts on Instagram, and I don’t know a single thing about their lives besides their photography. If you openly argue with a girlfriend or boyfriend like some people do, then social media can get very ugly. I’ve seen that happen before. In other words, you have to determine how much and what parts of your life you want to open up with strangers on the internet. Lately one of the things that expose people in a negative way the most is politics. I think there is a very big responsibility to using social media. If people post things that are socially unacceptable, then strangers will be able to see parts of their lives that shouldn't be seen. If people post appropriate things, then it can benefit them in different parts of life like social and professional situations. 

One event where social media was used in the recent past was when Mercedes Benz live streamed the unveiling of the new Maybach S650 on Instagram. For the unveiling of the flagship car for the brand “Maybach,” it was a private unveiling that was only available to those who were invited by Mercedes. People who weren't present at the event were see the car being shown in real time, due to the live stream. I think social media played a very positive role in this situation. It created a lot of excitement with people who like cars because it gave them the opportunity to see something that they normally would never have a chance to see. I really enjoy the live stream of Instagram and Facebook live videos. It makes you feel like you are actually at whatever event you are watching. Although these live videos are new, a lot of big companies and celebrities use these to connect with their public.

I see the role of social media becoming even more important and prevalent than it is now. Not so much with individual people, social media will always be a big part of our lives from now on; but I see social media becoming a mainstay in the world of big companies and celebrities alike. A big social media presence is an amazing tool for corporations to communicate with the people. Car companies usually take advantage of this by seeing how their products are received by the public. Sports figures now get contracts that require them to do things on social media. Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers has a contract with Facebook that requires him to do four live streams a month for about 400,000 dollars per year.