"Web 2.0" Declines - Because it's Part of Us

Robin Wauters on TechCrunch talks about the end of "Web 2.0" as a term, and ponderswhat the decline in use of the term means (giving some evidence as to why it's declining).

But as "Web 2.0" declines as a term, that doesn't mean that what Tim O'Reilly was describing in coining the phrase is declining, as well. As we use the linking, grafting, sifting and sorting technologies, mashup our own media, build a continuing Web of interlinking info-clouds, Web 2.0 is a meaningless term because we all know what it is. It's just air. It's there. We don't talk about Web 2.0 any more than we talk about the technology that brings TV signals to our TV sets or voices into our ears via the telephone.

Some day, we won't talk about ".com" (just as we seldom say "www" anymore). We'll just do what we want via whatever interface without talking about . We'll use Twitter-like short bursts, and share photos mapped via locating technologies and share videos and photos and accessing information, and conducting commerce and what-not. But less and less will we talk about the methodology. Rather than fascination with HOW things get done via whatever fulfillment mechanism or description of the technology or methodology, we'll just be doing it.

1 comment:

Mark Morrell said...

I agree that Web 2.0 should be seen as 'business as usual' now. On BT's intranet users can find the latest blog post, wiki comment or podcast as easily as more authoritative content from our coporate homepage and can find blog, wiki and podcast content using the same intranet search engine as for other content or subscribe to it using RSS.

I posted about how users can tell the difference and use it at http://markmorrell.wordpress.com/2009/01/21/how-users-can-tell-it-is-social-media-content/.