Outdated are the traditional methods of media, such as broadcast; in its place is a constantly changing online world of improving programs and Betas. The constant news cycle and instant access to information online leaves web goers inundated with options. At their fingertips is the power of their own media consumption.
O’Reilly’s definition of Web 2.0 is highly dependent on the idea of social media. With Web 2.0 as the all encompassing platform for the new age of the internet, social media brings together the interconnectedness of the internet.
Social Media
Social media blends together the audience and the media, leaving little distinction between the two. This kind of participatory involvement online allows everybody to create blogs, join social networks, and participate in forums. Social media encourages participation, openness, conversation, community, and connectedness. Without these important factors, Web 2.0 would be ineffective. Websites such as Flickr and YouTube would quickly dwindle in numbers if there wasn’t a participatory factor to them.
Power of one
The notion of controlling what is consumed has been of special note lately, with even Time magazine labeling the esteemed 2006 Person Of The Year as “You”–the consumer, average citizen, and pinncacle of today’s internet and journalism markets. “You” was made Person Of The Year through one very important gateway: the revolution of the World Wide Web.
So who consumes this type of media?
Media consumption is no longer about who owns networks and production companies, but rather any average Joe that has access to a computer. RSS feeds, Google News Reader, and deli.cio.us are all examples of the personalized aspect of the Web 2.0. With an ever growing population, the online world can feel incredibly tight knit, with connections within communities and networks. Common interests develop platforms for discourse and sharing. Social networks like Facebook and MySpace have a huge following online. Members of these communities list details about themselves and connect with their friends online. Links to other websites, such as YouTube videos, can also be posted to a person’s profile page. The interconnectedness of this notion is the very idea behind O’Reilly’s Web 2.0.
In addition to consuming social media in this way, participants are also able to pick and choose when they will be exposed to the online world. YouTube, Flickr, and Podcasts all make it incredibly easy to access information 24 hours a day, despite the actual programming time. Networks are even putting their evening programs on their websites to encourage ciewers to watch the TV shows on their own time.
The credibility of interactivity
The interactive feature of the online world is what keeps participants coming back for the newest and latest developments. The trust instilled in programs such as Wikipedia makes almost every webgoer somewhat credible in their own rite. In addition, the simplicity of so many programs makes the average webgoer very comfortable with exploring new websites.
Despite these strengths, Wikipedia falls under an umbrella of concern for many users. Many schools have forbidden the use of Wikipedia in its schools, and a US senator is even aiming to eliminate it officially from all schools and libraries. While US Senator Ted Stevens claims that this would eliminate predator interaction with children, many others argue that Wikipedia cannot be viewed as a credible source.
The future of Web 2.0
Web 2.0 views the internet as a platform for a variety of things. Models and programs are constantly updating to include the most recent technologies. In doing so, the websites are now built to simplify yet maximize the experience of those in the online community. Social media is at the forefront of what makes Web 2.0 so successful and essential for our use.
June 9, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Hey Sara. Welcome to the blogging world! Great first post.
A quick piece of advice — use hyperlinks in your posts. Links are the currency of the blogosphere. The way you build relationships with other bloggers is by linking to them. It helps them discover your blog and might encourage them to come comment here.
Last, I like how you write “Media consumption is no longer about who owns networks and production companies, but rather any average Joe that has access to a computer.” I agree, but I would just say that this is about media production, not just consumption.
See you in class!
June 10, 2007 at 11:58 pm
The credibility of social media, especially Wikipedia, is hotly debated. As is the lasting impact of blogs. Some see it all as a fad. What do you think?
June 11, 2007 at 2:55 am
I enjoyed reading your post, especially since you focus on some of the credibility issues that I find especially compelling in the Web 2.0 world. In
a couple of magazine articles I’ve read recently, Wikipedia was said to have about the same credibility rate as the Encyclopedia Britanica (I think Nature magazine had a bunch of scientists test the accuracy of pages between the two, finding about 4 errors per 1,000 pages or something like that)…and Wikipedia has exponentially more content. The very openess of the content, and the fact that there are thousands of devoted fans who constantly monitor the validitiy of their pet pages, helps keep things on the level.
June 11, 2007 at 3:43 am
Wikipedia’s popularity is heavily based on its ability to let virtually anybody edit the websites. In addition to these “volunteers”, there is a team of people who clean up the websites and try to maintain their accuracy.
After undergoing a review by libraryjournal.com, the following statement was released:
“While there are still reasons to proceed with caution when using a resource that takes pride in limited professional management, many encouraging signs suggest that (at least for now) Wikipedia may be granted the librarian’s seal of approval”. (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliability_of_Wikipedia)
As somebody that uses the wiki almost daily, I have come to trust the online encyclopedia and hope that what I’m reading is highly accurate. In terms of unfolding current events, Wikipedia is generally a good go to for the most up to date information.
I think that blogging has definitely gotten extremely popular in the past couple of years–as evident on Technorati–but I think it will end up evolving into something bigger and better.
Many businesses also use blogs, but it may be a matter of time before something else comes along that will trump the current state of blog usage. In its barest form as a “web log”, the idea of blogs will definitely continue to use the internet as the primary platform for relaying information and ideas.