Traditional Media and Web 1.0
Before Web 1.0 existed, traditional types of media, such as magazines and newspapers, were the only way people could receive adequate information. Traditional media provided entertainment and news to people in the late 1800s. In the early 1900s, the creation of radios and movies changed the roles of traditional media. Traditional media had to change in order to compete with the new entertainment media. The invention of the television and the radio in the early 1940s further changed the realm of traditional media, thus creating a competition between the digital and traditional media.
Therefore, the 1960s brought the realm of the ARPanet. The ARPanet was the precursor to the internet and it was mainly only used for military bases in the United States so that the bases could speak to one another. In the early 1990s, Web 1.0 was introduced into the world. Social media followed Web 1.0 in the late 1990s. Six Degrees was the initial form of social media that came out of Web 1.0 and BitNet was a stage of Web 1.0. After the creation of social media, Web 2.0 eventually followed suit.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 was introduced in the 2000s with new abilities that Web 1.0 did not have. Web 2.0 included searchability, interactivity, contribution, and social interaction. The searchability aspect of Web 2.0 introduced a way for people to quickly find what they wanted on the internet without having to use a hardcopy book, traditional source of media, or having to know the Url. The interactivity of Web 2.0 introduced a way for people to communicate with others through chat boxes, advanced email, or better operated social media. Web 2.0 allowed people to contribute their own information and facts by creating their own websites for other people to see, thus expanding the knowledge that is provided on the internet. Finally, Web 2.0 introduced a way for people to socialize with each other. A person could be miles away, but if they had an internet connection, people could share videos, photos, or messages through the Web. As you can see, Web 2.0 was a big step up from Web 1.0. Web 2.0 allowed for more accessibility and variation in what a person could do on the web.
Web 2.0 has introduced many new factors into the world of the internet, but with everything, the change has risks. Web 2.0 has allowed for people to easily spread information, but with that misinformation can also be spread. The social media invented in Web 2.0 allows people to connect with each other even if they are miles away from each other. The platform also allows people to promote themselves or others. According to the article “Evaluating the use and impact of Web 2.0 Technologies in Local Government,” “Much government activity is now focused on Web 2.0, and social media has become a central component of digital government strategies in a very short period of time (Bertot et al., 2010, Bonsón et al., 2015)” (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740624X15000763). Whether it’s protests or campaigns, Web 2.0 has created a platform that anyone can use to share their thoughts and beliefs. It can be a great thing for society, or it can be terrible because of how much misinformation can be spread if people do not check their facts before posting. These changes only got more advanced with Web 3.0.
Web 3.0
Web 3.0 is the era that we currently live in. Although it can be described, there is not a perfected definition for the era since it is still being worked upon and created. According to the article “Web 3.0,” “Web 3.0 is slated to be the new paradigm in web interaction and will mark a fundamental change in how developers create websites, but more importantly, how people interact with those websites” (https://www.techopedia.com/definition/4923/web-30). Web 3.0 has so far brought us artificial intelligence, such as Siri, Google Maps, and Alexa, and augmented reality, as seen in virtual reality helmets. Web 3.0 is building on the technologies invented in Web 2.0. Who knows what else it will bring!
Why do I care?
Although it is not easy to remember all the different parts of the development of the internet, it is important to understand how it has impacted the traditional style of media. Some people prefer to hold a physical copy of the newspaper while others find it much easier to look up the news on the internet. It is entirely up to you to choose whether you prefer traditional types of media over some of the newer media. Digital media can produce articles about breaking news much faster than print media is able to. However, print media allows you to read the news everywhere, even in places that do not have connections. Both traditional and new media have ways to please their audience, but it is important to understand how the new web era may affect the traditional style of media much more than it had in the past due to the new advancements.