Web 2.0

The term Web 2.0, invented by Tom Berners-Lee, is associated with web applications that allow people to participate with information sharing, the working with different products or systems without restriction, user- centered design and the working together to achieve a goal on the World Wide Web. Web 2.0 site allows its users to communicate and work with each other in social media as creators of their own content, which in contrast with websites is a breakthrough as websites only allow viewing of content that was created for the viewing of others. A few examples of Web 2.0 are social networking sites such as facebook and twitter, blogging sites such as tumbler, file sharing sites and wikipedia where multiple people can define things to inform others.

Web 2.0 has had a great deal of impact especially in education. Many colleges use Web 2.0 as students can use a college blogging site such as www.blogger.com to interact with other students which proves very advantageous in a student’s learning curve as when a topic on a certain subject proves difficult they are able to view input from other students, which in turn helps with the completion of set tasks. Alongside this many students use social networking sites, particularly facebook, to interact with each other. This is again advantageous as it not only allows relationships between students to develop creating a much more comfortable atmosphere but colleges can create pages within the social networking site which informs students about set tasks and deadlines. There are a variety of benefits in Web 2.0 as its consumers are to an extent the creators, this is advantageous as it allows room for rational debate and participation, there’s also room for intertextuality as links can be posted about magazine subscriptions, new television shows and advances in technology which promotes businesses from all different platforms.

There are disadvantages of Web 2.0 though as there is possibly too much freedom, it leaves room for SPAM and ‘trolling’ by irrational users. Trolling has been a problem within the Web 2.0 community as the use of this means that radical trust is involved, however some users purposely post things on to websites with the intent to receive an emotional reaction from other users whilst being able to conceal their identity and remain anonymous. Web 2.0 was surrounded by controversy due to people trolling, after the suicide of Alexis Pilkington, anonymous posters began trolling for reactions across various message boards, referring to Pilkington as a ‘suicidal slut’ and posting graphic images on her facebook memorial page. Across media platforms Web 2.0 has been criticized as the freedom given means that false information can be written as fact by users, which then brings the gate-keeper principle in to the subject as something that was heard could be misperceived and then explained on sites as fact. In the United Kingdom any contributions made to the internet are covered by the Communications Act 2003, sending messages that are ‘grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character’ is an offence, two persons have been imprisoned in the UK for trolling already.

Web 2.0 has impacted the expectations of audiences in many ways, there are positive effects such as easier interaction allowing a business’s product for example to be improved due to rational debate etc. However alongside this it has impacted the expectations of the consumers negatively as now not all information on the internet as a platform is believed to be valid.