Meaning of Web 2-0 Common Phrase - Essay Example

Web 2.0 is a discipline in the use of World Wide Web technology that plans to support creativity, most notably, collaboration among all of its users (Michelson, 2006). Web 2.0 has brought dynamic changes in our lives and not even this but it has changed the operations and structures of businesses all over the world. The trend of online businesses has become very common and for this purpose, different community sites are being used for marketing. Facebook is heavily used for this purpose. Ads and pages are developed for businesses. This method considerably lower downs the cost of expenses at businesses.

This technology has made everyone dependent on it and thus nobody can think to avoid it. The same medium is now used to socialize and communicate with people. Facebook is the famous social networking site that provides the best platform to stay in touch with friends, colleagues, and others also. As in the busy routine of today, you hardly find time to get relax so how would it be possible to arrange friends’ gatherings from time to time? But now these social sites have made it possible to stay in touch with all of your friends.

LinkedIn and Twitter are also social networking sites that are famous for professional careers especially. One can build your profile and let it be open for the organization's job offers. Secondly one is free to choose more options with this method (Schick, 2005).
The great thing about Web 2.0 is that through social networking sites and freelancing websites, diverse cultures are coming closer. People from different countries work for each other and have discussions over cultural issues.
Besides the advantages of Web 2.0, there are also some risks involved with it like it has made us hugely dependent upon the internet and if for any reason your server goes down then what will you do? Now all of the work is conducted over the internet, no paperwork is involved. So there is a big question mark in front of the risks involved with this method. Another negative thing about Web 2.0 is that sharing has become very common and copyrighted things are losing their value because of this. Music, Books, Videos, Movies, and others go into a loss when are being shared.

The journalist Steven Johnson writes in his article Celebration of Web 2.0:
“What may be lost when everyone is a potential expert and everyone is talking at once”

This is the most positive thing about any culture where everyone knows about the current issues and overall issues. It has become possible with the trend of Web 2.0. On the other hand, Brian Williams, the anchor and the managing editor of NBC Nightly News is one among those who are not very happy with the latest technology trends. According to him, Web 2.0 has made people self-centered and now they only want to celebrate themselves and also want to know what they already know. However, Several people don’t agree with Williams. The reason is that how can they call that people want only to celebrate themselves? If they want to communicate their ideas and raise their voice for any issue then blogs and social networking sites are the best platforms that they can avail. Several blogs where many useful tips are discussed, some focus on common issues like beauty care, fashion clothing, Recipes, and so on. But such issues are rarely discussed over Television or radio.

Secondly, with Web 2.0, it has become possible for people to have information about various issues and topics. Brian Williams has a view that there is much more information provided over television than the democratic people need to know. To some extent it is true, but when one looks at the other side of the picture then the point of view will also change. Ont television, usually hot topics are discussed repeatedly and you unwillingly have to listen to it all even if one has detailed information about it. But when we talk about Web 2.0 then it allows us to get information that we want to know. one can filter the info of his interest whereas it is not the case with television.
Web 2.0 has much more advantages as compared to its disadvantages and so of course it cannot get it off and switch back to the traditional means of information. But one should try to improve this method by concentrating on its negative points instead of criticizing it. Williams says in his article:

“The danger just might be that we miss the next great book or the next great idea, or that we fail to meet the next great challenge…because we are too busy celebrating ourselves and listening to the same tune we already know by heart”. So Web 2.0 is not restricting people’s thinking but it is motivating them to think over the issues. Read More