The New Wisdom of the Web

I really enjoyed reading the Newsweek article, "The New Wisdom of the Web," by Steven Levy and Brad Stone.

The article - mainly about the innovative companies Flickr and Myspace - explained why my generation is becoming the web 2.0 generation. No longer satisfied with just browsing website and learning from them, my generation is eager to learn from each other - about each other. It's this curiosity that led to the boom in the web 2.0 industry. With over " 65 million (mostly young) people, and thousands of rock bands, movie stars and marketers," on myspace and "a 2.5 million-member community solely around a passion for sharing photos," it's obvious that times have changed.

As Levy and Stone state of web 2.0 innovations, "It's the main news source for the non-arthritic population, and a megaphone for those who make their own media. "

For me this really rings true. As a photojournalism major, we are constantly learning how to interact more with our audiences using developing technology. Videos, slideshows and soundclips are quickly changing the way most people get their news. Many sites are emerging that encourage readers to participate by leaving comments on articles they read. Additionally, most major newspapers now have a blog - where you can read more than just what the newspaper publishes and comment about your opinions.

In regard to Flickr - I find this site to be enormously helpful as a photographer. It's a great place to store all your photos, search quickly through them and share albums with friends. Additionally, the site can be used as a learning and networking tool for emerging photographers. By commenting on others photos, you can make connections and maybe even learn a new technique.

I also agree with Levy and Stone that web 2.0 emphasizes a collective intelligence. Wikipedia is a solid source for quick facts, in my opinion. While it isn't 100% reliable, the collective intelligence of everyone who reads, edits and adds to subject posts helps to validate it's authenticity.

It's clear from Levy and Stone's article that this web 2.0 phenomena isn't going anywhere. With hundreds of thousands of new users signing up to join myspace everyday - it seems safe to say that my generation is vehement about communicating and interacting on the web. What has yet to be said is what long-term impacts this collective community could have on my or future generations of web 2.0 users.