Networked Media Week 3 – The rise of Web 2.0 Technologies

This week, we delved into the concept of networks and from the reading specifically, the introduction to the new web 2.0 technologies (the internet and social media). As a native of Web 2.0 technologies, I personally have not experienced the shift from 1.0 to 2.0, however, it is clear from the reading and my own research that the introduction of web 2.0 had a major impact on the technology at the time. The opportunity for greater agency suddenly distorted the distinction between who was and was not the media.  Hence causing the once static relationship between the audience and media to be shifted dramatically.  

The idea of the internet not being in my life seems estranged and almost unbelievable, maybe this is naïve thinking, but I can’t help it. Jimmy Wales, Wikipedia’s founder assumed that the internet was “going to be a part of everyday life – creating and sharing media will be a thing that normal people will do all the time, every day, and it doesn’t seem strange.’ His thinking perfectly depicts what our world is now, and what it has been since the Web 2.0 transformation.  

Through the transition, users are not only consuming media, but also producing and distributing it and the user-generated content is proving to be a major competitor to the traditional media that our parents grew up consuming. As a millennialthe media is so accessible and hence through the rise of social media platforms, we are becoming active engaged users and publishers without even thinking.  

However, these platforms rely on the constant engagement of the media from its users. This analysis made me think where would Facebook be without the insatiable human need for interaction? Where would YouTube be without the hours of hilarious prank videos or Instagram without the obsession with selfies?  

The truth is, I don’t have any idea as it is all I am used to. However, it is becoming more apparent that these media institutions have grown specifically from a closer relationship with their audiencewithout the audience there would be no media. These days, there has never been more agency/power in the hands of the media user.  

As stated in the reading, “Web 2.0 shows how our creative expression becomes commodified and sold back to us”, this is heavily applicable to social media platforms. Through Instagram, the use of the like button, as well as the new, save and share function, Instagram is able to specifically create our explore page and advertisements that are applicable to each individual. This not only creates a more intimate relationship as the user is able to see how their actions affect their experience but also allows them to subtly control their feeds.  

I also really liked the idea that O’Reilly draw attention to, he states “that software should not be designed for a ‘single device’ like the phone or PC but should be designed to operate across a range of handheld devices, GPS, or set top boxes. Interoperability is key”. I think his ideas encapsulate what the web 2.0 is all about; accessibility and user friendliness. I am guilty of having my computer open with a YouTube video whilst being on my phone looking at what I could watch next and finding new videos, hence proving to be a direct example of this.  

Lister also mentions how previously “bigger was better” in terms of the media products (Lister, 2009, pg. 198). However, through the rise of YouTube and the more recent explosion of ‘vlogs’, we are able to see how people naturally relate more to the authentic and honest representations of everyday life. Not only does this completely contrast the idea that bigger is better but it also shows how our engagement and consumption methods have changed drastically in the rise of web 2.0 technologies.  

Through the reading, I have been able to obtain a greater understanding for how my actions and use pf technology contributes to shaping my individual networked media experience and also the increased amount of agency I have just from being born in the era of Web 2.0 technologies. The Web 2.0 appeals to audiences as it allows them to create as well as consume, have access to a broad range of media and be ultimately integral in our media landscape.  

 

References:

  • Lister, M et al 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction. Routledge, New York. (Sections: Networks, Users and Economics pp 163-169; Wiki Worlds and Web 2.0 pp 204-209; The Long Tail pp 197-200; User-generated content, we are all users now pp 221-232.)

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