Week 2 lecture

Thinking back about 'web iterations' from lecture two; traditional media is said to be "essentially instruments of mass communication targeting large aggregated audiences" (Harrison 2009:9) Despite the fact that media is slowly using more and more technology, I think that traditional media is still essential in our society. While media platforms such as twitter, Facebook, and online news bulletins aim to feed news to the masses as quickly as possible, traditional media don't have this luxury. However, As my 1112 lecturer said, newspapers have the opportunity to delve deeper into news stories, and are therefore still a huge part of today's society. 


The lecturer then went on to describe the different levels of internet: Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. Web 1.0 is also known as the information web. The focus for the very first internet platform was on companies and very basic advertising. It was a place to go to find out all about different companies and their products, and largely produced by the manufacturers as a new way of reaching their consumers. A large portion of it was still images, including advertising. David Bradley described Web 1.0 as "the static flat web of hyperlinks and no interaction."


Web 2.0 is also known as the 'social web', and includes the start of social media sites such as Myspace, MSN Chat and Facebook. Gone are the days of that familiar dial-up tone. This growth from Web 1.0 can mainly be attributed to the fact that content began to be a mixture of advertisers and consumers productions. All of a sudden we can ask other consumers questions about products and find out real information about something we may be interesting in buying (also known as Produsers). This is largely what we have all been experiencing the last few years.


Last but not least is Web 3.0. This type of internet, also known as the 'semantic web' is what we are slowly moving into. Driven by meaning attached to information and 'Meta tags', this is the internet that will basically see artificial intelligence become a very graspable concept. Web 3.0 in large is focused on the individual and their wants and needs. It wants to know your questions and answer them in lightning speed. 


This week's lecture finished up by talking again about traditional media, and where newspapers have a part in today's society. This is a topic that is also being covered in my Journalism 1112 course, and in one of our lectures we talked about how newspapers still offer a unique service to the public. While internet, tv and radio all have to speed to have stories out before the next person, newspapers have absolutely no way of keeping up. However, they do have the time and resources needed to research stories in detail and offer perspective columns on topics. 


All in all, I think the internet is currently an exciting place for the media. Everyone has an opportunity to have their say, and news websites can use this content to publish exciting stories that let the mass hear about it. It is definitely becoming more and more personalized to the individual.