Evolution of the Web

After reading Emergent Media and Public Communication, it made me ponder the evolution of the web. We remember the Web and it’s first stages in the Web 1.0 era. Well, a lot has changed since then, and that means there are more changes on the horizon. The Web continues to evolve and transform the way that products and services are marketed on the Internet. To und­erstand where the Web is going, we need to take a quick look at where it's been.

Web 1.0

Web 1.0, or the World Wide Web, was the first stage of the Internet. Webpages with hyperlinks were the extent of the Internet. The Web had static pages instead of dynamic user generated content (GPC). The websites were not interactive; instead they were static, containing information for the visitor. Under the Web 1.0 strategy, marketers developed applications that users could download, but they couldn’t see how the application worked. Web 1.0 was impersonal, descriptive, professional, and presented many facts.

Web 2.0

After Web 1.0, Web 2.0 came around and changed the world of advertising, as we know it.  Web 2.0 was officially coined in 2004 by Dale Dougherty, vice-president of O’Reilly Media Inc. Web 2.0 includes, but is not limited to audio blogging and podcasting, tags, RSS and syndication, social bookmarking, Wikis, multimedia sharing, social networking and more. We are more familiar with Web 2.0, because that is the Internet we know and use today. Overall it is the Web that provides a two-way form of interacting and communicating.

Web 3.0 & Beyond

Of course, Web 2.0 will continue to progress and will eventually transform into what may be called Web 3.0. Although we do not know what the future holds for the Web, there are many speculations. Many believe that the Web will be further integrated into our every day lives. For example, you may be able to ask your browser questions like, “Where should I eat dinner?” and the browser will keep a track record of your likes and dislikes and take into account your location. This may be similar to iPhone’s Siri, but much more advanced. This idea may effect how we access our news. Also, many believe that human interaction will decrease and we’ll depend on the Internet more. Also, humans will literally have the Internet at their fingertips, anywhere and everywhere they go.  Where do you see the future Web 3.0 leading?