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| Netscape Navigator mid 90's |
Hearing
Rachel Crow mentioning "
Netscape" brought back my old memory when I was about 12 years old. I remember the first time I learned about this thing called "internet". I was intrigued by how much I can do sitting in front of a little screen with a keyboard and a mouse. The first web browser I knew about was this "Netscape Navigator," approximately in mid 90's. That time, there was no Google, All I had was a website called
sanook, which translated to "fun" in Thai language. I remembered I was just sitting and waiting for at least 5 minutes for the page to load and there would be mostly text with hyperlinks on them. The content were just news and entertainment. If one wanted to make a website like that, s/he has to be a professional. Only thing I could do was to post a comment feedback to the website. (maybe because I was twelve and does not know a word in English). Even just knowing that, I thought I was a hot stuff, know it all 12 years old boy.
But now it is all different. If I walk around my primary school, I am sure at least half of the students are comfortable with the idea of internet and probably have their own
Facebook and
Hi5 (Social networking site popular in Thailand) profiles. I will even go as far as placing a bet that more than half of you reading this blog, just pressed the facebook hyperlink above and signed on to your profile, or already have the page up while reading this! (Well, I do). Things have changed and we are responsible to keep up with it. This is the age of
Web 2.0!
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| Some well-known websites of web 2.0 |
So what exactly is Web 2.0? According to the article written by
Lev Monovich, Web 2.0 refers to enabling
website platforms that allow end-users to publish their own content without any expertise in computer programming. The main difference between web 1.0 (my childhood) and web 2.0 is that end-users could not publish their ideas in the way professionals could. Taking this website for example, there are underlying ten of thousands of computer codes that one has to write in order to present this look. But since web 2.0, this look is just a click away. Web 2.0 sounds really good, but is it? At the end of the day, I realized all these Facebook and twitter that came with the web 2.0 package is not always good for us. We forgot what it was like to actually hang out with people just to keep in touch, a birthday wishes reduced to a merely 20 characters "happy birthday man!!" on Facebook. The question is, what's next?
Just this last 10 years, things have changed so much, I could only hope that it stops right here. My prediction is that there will be no more face to face contact. Things that needed to be said can be said through twitter and text. Just the thought of that gives me a chill down my spine. Let this lady explain to you in a simple words.
Hmm? I'm am not terribly sure I can agree with you that there will be no more face to face contact. YEs, the internet has come so far, and it is true that I recieve more "Happy Birthday's" on facebook than I recieve phone calls on those day. At the same time, take into consideration the benefits in having access to these diferent websites in this web 2.0 era. I have connected with people I haven't seen since I was 3 years old! Uncles and aunt's from different states and countries can contact me! (So can ex boyfriends, but that becomes more of a stalking issue) I feel like Web 2.0 is amazing and innovating! I can't wait for what's next
ReplyDeleteThat is rather chilling, how computers may become part of everything, as the video discussed, and how different devices could communicate with each other through the internet. I don't like the concept of our world potentially becoming sucked into an online space, where no one has human contact or ever speaks to another person. It's rather frightening, and I think that sort of fear may be what things such as the Twilight Zone episode we watched may be getting at. The fear of the unknown, and the fact that we could get so involved with computers that we no longer remember each other.
ReplyDeletewould you argue for or against the idea that as technology becomes more advanced in it's forms. Is it good for us to keep up with every new application or program or keep up to date with the ones that service us the most?. How much should technology control our lives?. I enjoy writing things out mannual when I have the chance.
ReplyDeleteI thought you conceptually laid out the key differences to Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 well. I'm curious however, aren't you interested in computer technology in general? I thought you asked Rachel for contacts at Google and things during class! How would you personally balance out your interests in technology and good old human contact? What is the happy middle road here?
ReplyDeleteAlaina has a good point. I am actually unsure of where I stand. On one hand, I love technology and advances. On the other hand, I enjoy good old face to face contact with people. I am afraid to say it, but there is no such thing as a happy middle road. I think I would live with whatever life throws at me. Maybe I can do something about it. Maybe I can't. There is no way of knowing.
ReplyDeleteTry to have it all and use the Internet to enhance and improve communication and your ability to collaborate and connect.
ReplyDelete