Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a very important feature of this course. The fact we can even do this distance learning course is down to Web 2.0. Before reading the handbooks I had never herd of it before. I had no idea what it was or that it was even a thing. To me the internet was just the internet and I didn’t think much further into it. Having researched it, I am amazed I hadn’t come across the term before seeing as I use it so often.


So what is Web 2.0?

‘The second stage of development of the Internet, characterized especially by the change from static web pages to dynamic or user-generated content and the growth of social media.’

Oxford Dictionaries

What does this mean?


Tim O’Reilly has spoken a lot about Web 2.0. Online we are now able to communicate with each other. Someone can put a piece of information on the internet and people can interact with the information. The creator and the people reading and interacting to it are in conversation. They can discuss, debate and expand on the original information. Web 1.0 didn’t have this communication. The information was put on the internet and that was it. There was no interaction. This has evolved over time to Web 2.0 with the creations of social media, for instance Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, the list goes on…We now have the power to create our own content, share our own information and opinions out to a wide audience.


An important aspect of Web 2.0 is ‘Collective Intelligence’.

‘Collective intelligence is a sociological concept that describes how a group intellect begins to form when people work together. By interacting and even competing with one another, the group shares information and collectively solves problems, giving them a greater chance to find answers than they would have on their own. The reason this works is because the crowd achieves wisdom by finding a consensus in correct answers and dismissing or discarding incorrect or deviant ideas.’ (Michael Cross, Science Direct, 2014)

Collective intelligence seems like and amazing thing and used correctly can have a great impact for good. As said below:

‘social space for people, strangers and almost strangers with diverse background to come together as equals, as generators or ideas, to deliberate and act collectively’ (Feenberg and Bakardjieva, 2004, pg.38)

However, I also believe there are some ethical issues surrounding it. You can get a collective intelligence but you are unlikely to get an equal representation of all people and so are not going to be able to get all the knowledge you need to make truly informed decisions and conclusions. We are reliant on the fact people;

1. Have access to the internet
2. Understand how to use the internet
3. Are honest and truthful with the information they put forward.

Having access to the internet is a key area to address. The chart below shows the percentage of people in the world compared to the percentage of people who have access to the internet in 2019. 

(We are Social 2019)

As you can see there is a great number of people who don’t have access. So how can we truly have a collective intelligence when not everyone is able to put forward their knowledge, and as John Dewey suggests, experience is knowledge. ‘I take it that the fundamental unity of the newer philosophy is found in the idea that there is an intimate and necessary relation between the processes of actual experience and education.’ Dewey, (1938) pg.20. Everyone is unique and has unique experiences so without everyone’s knowledge we can only draw vague conclusions from the information we do have, whilst being aware it may not be completely accurate.


Another big ethical issue is how truthful and reliable is the information we are putting out on the internet. A lot of the information isn’t checked or verified before being put up for all internet users to see. People often say they feel more confident behind a screen, which can be a great tool for them to use, but it can also lead vulnerable people into dangerous situations. A basic example of this is Catfishing. You think you are talking to one person, when in actual fact it is someone completely different. This example shows us alone, how easy it is to manipulate the information online, to make it show what we want it to show, and that isn’t always the truth. 


Here is what Michael Woodworth said in Science Daily:

“When people are interacting face to face, there is something called the ‘motivational impairment effect,’ where your body will give off some cues as you become more nervous and there’s more at stake with your lie. In a computer-mediated environment, the exact opposite occurs.” (Woodworth, 2009) 

If it is so easy for people to lie online, can we really take anything for what it is? How do we know the collective Intelligence we get online for many different subjects, is actually based on knowledge rather than lies?



Inspirations for this blog:


http://adesolaa.blogspot.com/search/label/web%202.0


Bibliography

Oxford dictionaries, available at: https://www.bing.com/search?q=what+is+the+definition+of+web+2.0&form=EDNTHT&mkt=en-gb&httpsmsn=1&msnews=1&plvar=0&refig=1b069dc18b7d475b842fbfe907ed403d&sp=-1&ghc=1&pq=what+is+the+definition+of+web+2.0&sc=1-33&qs=n&sk=&cvid=1b069dc18b7d475b842fbfe907ed403d
 (Accessed 18/02/2020)

O’Reilly. T,  O’REILLY (2005) What is Web 2.0 Available at: https://www.oreilly.com/pub/a/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=3 (Accessed 18/02/2020)

Cross. M, Science Direct, (2014) What is Collective Intelligence, Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/computer-science/collective-intelligence (Accessed 18/02/2020)

Feenberg, A. & Bakardjieva, M. (2004) Virtual community: No killer implication. New Media & Society, 6, 37 - 43.

We are Social (2019) Digital 2019: Global Internet use Accelerates, Available at: https://wearesocial.com/blog/2019/01/digital-2019-global-internet-use-accelerates (Accessed 19/02/2020)

Dewey. J, (1938) Experience and Education pg.20, New York: Collier Books

Ducklow. R, Mortenson. B, Woodworth. M, University of British Columbia (2009) ‘Why People Are Better at Lying Online Than Telling A Lie Face-to-face.’ ScienceDaily, Available at https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090503203738.htm  (Accessed 19/02/2020)