Week 3: Web 2.0 and Podcasting: Where is this heading?

Web 2.0, podcasting, and now video podcasting. Well, it can definitely be asserted that these conventions of the World Wide Web aren't going away any time soon. In fact, they appear to be growing in numbers, seemingly in larger proportions than there are users to access them. But What is the future of these technologies? In my opinion, integration is path that Web 2.0 has begun to take, and it will continue along this path for some time to come. Web 2.0 has successfully become a part of cell phones, MP3 players, and other technological devices, so it seems fit for this trend to continue forward. Not only that, but because of the large wealth of information that Web 2.0 offers (just look at Wikipedia for an example), more will turn to it for advice, tips, and the like.

One of the important things to remember is that the internet is a vast place. Indeed, with the introduction of applications such as Second Life, and online banking, the Internet has become a place, and in my opinion can no longer be seen as a thing. It is quite possible to find a podcast on almost anything, from technology to knitting, but the limitation is always the computer. Sure, you can put your favourite podcasts on your iPod, but you need a computer to get them there. Soon, iPods will be able to download podcasts wireless, allowing you to access them whenever you want and from wherever you are. Indeed, as Barney states, "the network society is 'always on'... [and] human beings experience time in the network society as timeless and space as placeless." (29). So, if the network is always on, shouldn't we always be able to connect to it. And if it is indeed timeless and placeless, it shouldn't matter where and when we access it, so long as we are provided with this access.

Surely, however, a talk about the future of Web 2.0 would not be complete without mention of the big man himself, Tim Berners Lee. In his testimony before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Berners Lee mentioned the very topic of data integration, claiming that it is not only the general public that will benefit from this technology, but scientists and investors as well. As he says, "Successful investment strategies are based on finding patterns and trends in an increasingly diverse set of information sources" (Digital Future of the United States), and podcasting and video podcasting provide these information sources in innumerable amounts.

Web 2.0 is an ever growing creature, and given the right amount of time, will work its way into numerous other devices and technologies, be it a direct clone of Web 2.0, or an idea loosely based on it. Nonetheless, the success of this technology relies on the general public, so as long as we keep using it, it will keep working.

Citation:

http://dig.csail.mit.edu/2007/03/01-ushouse-future-of-the-web.html

Barney, Darin. "The Network Society". Malden: Polity Press, 2004.