If Ajax was the most overused and ubiquitous web term of 2005, I would guess that Web 2.0 is the equivalent for 2006. There are Web 2.0 companies popping up everywhere and web sites are flooded with mirrored logos and other trendy graphics, without any real sense of coherence.
The inclusion of social techniques in the websphere has introduced a lot of intricate and complex situations, as well as simple human issues. How many web accounts do an average citizen have today? Can you from memory name all sites that you have passwords for?
Sure, I love to share my photos in Flickr, add my latest bookmarks at Del.icio.us, check out the latest entries at Digg, watch funny videos at YouTube, discuss wine at Cork’d, browse photos at Zoomr, network at Linkedin, evaluate shopping options at Crowdstorm, say hello at Socializr, scrobble at last.fm and much much more at the thousands of sites that attract me with social interaction on the web. In addition to the big sites, there are a lot of clones out there. For instance, Del.icio.us has over 50 counterparts and growing.
You are also encouraged to tag the stuff you visit, using a plethora of social bookmarking tools. How many of these icons can you put a name to, or even better, explain what they do?
Icons of popular sites in the so called social web.
Apart from all the hyped “2.0” sites, there are thousands of good old sites such as communities, forums, newsgroups, bulletin boards, guest books… Even though they are perhaps not as sexy as their modern counterparts, they are still alive and well.
Is the very number of current web applications overwhelming, or is it the impression of access to different systems? What will happen if (when) some of the large sites will merge user databases, creating the mother of all web apps where you can do anything with a single distributed login? Do you really want to give all that power to a single company? What will happen when all these systems are connected and people’s data can be cross-referenced? These are complex issues and will likely take some time to work out.
2 comments
I don’t think you’re overreacting, as what you’re describing is simply how you feel about it. However, I also think you might be starting to feel the effects of ‘information overload’.
I’m a fan of Web 2.0, and use various tools that allow me to enjoy my time on the web. However, I simply don’t use as much as you do, and as a result, I don’t feel the effects of information overload.
I think the more you delve into something, the more likely you are to start feeling those effects. But I do understand that you’re one voice out of many, many voices, and what you’re talking about is quite likely something that those many, many voices are also experiencing.
I’ll look into this and write about it on my blog.
PS. How come you haven’t updated for some months?
Thanks for your input! I’ve had a very low posting frequency this autumn and it mainly depends on two things: I’ve worked a lot of extra hours, leaving too little time for personal stuff. Also, I’ve been having trouble with my blog system, both spamming and technical issues, but I’m currently exploring alternative solutions.
Leave a reply