Web 2.0 – Is it Killing Someone?

Give it a thought before you actually start reading the article.

What harm can a superior technology like web 2.0 bring to someone? Isn’t it all aimed at a better tomorrow?

But as every technology has pros and cons, web 2.0 has both too. The answer is both Yes and No. It just depends on which side of the bridge you are standing.

Let me put up two events in front of you:

April 15, 2009: A 96-strong symphony orchestra performs to widespread acclaim under the baton of the distinguished American conductor Michael Tilson Thomas at Carnegie Hall. The musicians are part of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, the first online collaborative orchestra, and come from 30 countries. They met each other face-to-face only a few days before and have been selected from 3000 players who responded to the open call for entries by submitting a video audition.

May 16, 2009: The Tucson Citizen, Arizona's oldest daily newspaper, produces its last edition after 138 years. In its heyday, the Citizen had a circulation of about 60,000. That number had dwindled to 17,000 by the time its owners, Gannett, pulled the plug. The publisher, Jennifer Boice, pens an emotional open letter in that final edition. "It has been an honour to be a part of the community, invited daily into your homes . . .” she wrote. "Newspapers don't just close, they die. And death is personal."

The first one tickles the thought that technology as Web 2.0 is simply awesome and doing the best for so many people. But, on the other hand, the second one makes you realize that such a technology has closed down a business entirely, so is it actually good?

If you are amongst those who think that traditional ways of communication and socializing is what we should stick with, then your answer will be a big YES – yes, the web 2.0 is killing traditional media.

And if you are actually amongst those who look at the future with a different perspective and feel that traditional ways although good, but have to get replaced somewhere because one needs to look at the future, then your answer will be a definite NO!

The success of Web 2.0 means everyone can now publish - but at what costs, ask many of us!!!

People in various industries such as print media, television, music and publications etc. are the ones who have faced a serious hit in their business because of Internet already and now the fear is that Web 2.0, which is already changing the scenario of the Internet, will make things worse for them. These cultural gatekeepers - the television executives, newspaper owners, book publishers, record companies and movie producers are all anxious about their business losing the value and them losing their jobs and USP. This is all because of the fact that Web 2.0 has made things far more convenient and interesting for the Internet users.

If someone wants to become a movie director or a music composer, rather than making huge investments in acquiring instruments or high end cameras or going around and finding people who will appreciate your work, all that one needs to do is simply upload your work on the web. There are several hunts or competitions conducted over the web which look for talents. With high end mobile devices or smart phones, one can just shoot an entire movie with their phone and put it on the web for people to watch it and get recognition. But what is wrong in doing this? Moreover, data sharing or information sharing or socializing over the web is now a very basic usage and I don’t think any of us ever feel that we are actually replacing mediums of communications such as newspapers, or letters in our lives. And even if we feel so, it’s our convenience that we are concerned about.

But, many issues such as music/movies piracy or display of illegal content over sites are the results of such convenience only. The problem is that content filtering over the web is usually low. Anyone can find great, mediocre or really bad content or information over the web. The problem is not with the technology itself but somewhere with the kind of people using it and how they use it. The evolution to web 2.0 has always helped blogging, social media sites such as twitter or facebook to expand their horizon over time.

Put simply, Web 2.0 replaces the view of a website as analogous to a publication, wherein a trusted source provides information to be consumed by the user, with one that sees websites as tools for structured interaction between people. ‘Social media’ is a common, perhaps more meaningful, alternative term. Blogs, wikis, social networks, social bookmarking, and news aggregation sites: The litanies of tools that make up Web 2.0 are numerous, and they are constantly evolving and recombining.

And this is all because I don’t think today we can find anyone who is ready to leave facebook or quit blogging.

Are you ready to leave Facebook because you feel the traditional way of socializing was better?

So, personally I don’t think I am killing anyone if I don’t read newspapers and find the news online. Web 2.0 is a new generation of web-based services that allow people to interact, collaborate and share information. This means that businesses will have to evolve too. The implications for business are numerous. For one, Web 2.0 changes the way customers interact with one another and that demands a change in the way businesses communicate with their markets.

Companies such as Dell and PlusNet, show that using Web 2.0 tools it can be found how they can serve their customers better. Others, like Wachovia Bank and Best Buy, demonstrate the ability of Web 2.0 tools to help organisations work together better, document their implicit knowledge and even improve social structure.

The advent of Web 2.0 gives IT a unique opportunity to become more innovative, more creative and a more valuable part of business. By enabling collaboration and fostering community, they can inject major value to the activities of business units as diverse as marketing, customer service and business development.