Within the past 10 or so years, the Internet has become an integral part of our lives. A simple connection between two processing units proposed as a means of information relay in the early 1980's has blossomed over a short period of about 30 years into that which we know today. The Internet, however, has beyond its original bounds as an IT resource, and has not only helped to transport and display information, allowing for easy access to what equates to the sum of human knowledge, but has also connected people. This idea of the connection and collaboration of multiple people of various and diverse backgrounds has manifested itself in the concept known as "Web 2.0."
Wikipedia, a posterchild of the Web 2.0 movement, defines it as "the changing trends in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aim to enhance creativity, communications, secure information sharing, collaboration and functionality of the web." Popular websites, like Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, Twitter, and even the idea of blogging itself can be linked back to this trend. These communities have grown up around the basic philosophy of better human integration through the Internet, and have become an important and integral part of our lives. In fact, those of us born in the last 20 years have known practically nothing else.
These revolutionary websites were born from humble beginnings, even if they seem to be a grand and important part of our day-to-day lives. Facebook, a simple social networking website originally created to cater to students at Harvard University, has turned into a worldwide phenomenon, growing substantially since its introduction into the mainstream in September of 2005. Myspace, who is considered to be the pioneer of social networking (though not necessarily the first), grew out of the idea of a "friend meeting service", Friendster, and incorporated many popular features that has now made it a safe haven and proverbial greenhouse for "indie" media, particularly music, while still serving its original purpose as a social networking site.
This concept and the projects deriving from it have truly changed our perspective as a whole. We are more inclined to process information through many channels, and the amount of information available to us has increased substantially. In the future, this idea of global integration and collaboration of information is likely to expand and show itself in our society, economy, and even governments. This transition into transparency has already started.
Recently elected President Barak Obama has expressed a desire to create transparency in the government through the use of Web 2.0 concepts. During his campaign, he used Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Flickr to promote his campaign and reach out to his candidates. His supporters fashioned a website based around Google Maps to help coordinate the grassroots, door-to-door campaign. During his transition period, a website, change.gov, was set up to get input from the American people on his cabinet, administration, and transition actions. Now that he is in office, he is now making weekly addresses available over the internet to inform the American people of the current situation in the nation.
Web 2.0 shows the potential to revolutionize our way of life. It has already begun to permeate into our lives and minds, broadening our perspectives and giving us access to a treasure trove of information. The impact of these ideas is sure to be felt for years to come, and become a basis for how we work, play and govern ourselves in the future.
Read More:
The White House Blog - http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/
Web 2.0 from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0
What is Web 2.0? – O’Reilly Media - http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
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