Hundreds of bloggers have offered their explanation of the now infamous phrase ‘Web 2.0′, some say it’s a technical thing, some say it’s a social thing, all we know is it signifies a significant change to the greatest invention since the light bulb. With ‘Web 2.0′ in the history books, where are we going from here? What will future versions of the web look like? Here are my predictions.
I suppose a quick explanation of Web 2.0 is in order, since that was never truly defined I would say it represented the first major change to the way the general population of users use the web, new programming languages meant users could interact at a new level, faster connections meant users could do more, quicker than ever before, connecting with people around you became part of the way everyone uses the web. To me it was all about one word, integration. Web 2.0 saw the web integrating more with our lives, becoming more a part of our daily routines, users building up a reliance on the web, needing it to complete routine tasks.
Where can it go from here then? Simple, more integration. I believe every new ‘version’ of the web will be based on a substantial increase in integration with our lives. How can it possibly integrate more than it already does? You ain’t seen nothing yet. Imagine a world where everything is linked to each other, where every TV, Radio, Hi-Fi, Mobile Phone, Car, House, Fridge and Computer is linked to the web. No more satellite dishes or TV aerials on the outside of homes, everything being delivered from one source, one massive source, the web.
Evidence of this can already be seen. Who already watches programmes or films on their computer? More and more people run a ‘Media Centre’ style jukebox from a small Mac or PC these days, which wirelessly streams music around the house, these are connected to the web already. Chrysler recently announced their plans to make all their cars moving WiFi hotspots, allowing the passengers of the vehicle to use the web wherever and whenever they want. Mobile web browsing has come a long way, and as it improves all the parts of our lives outside the home or office will become more connected, all you have to look at is the iPhone 3G and it’s near WiFi 3G speeds. If your car had a reliable connection to the web, why bother with a radio signal at all, listen to music on demand over the web or connect to your home and access the tunes on your Mac or PC. This would apply to video as well, let the kids watch whatever they have recorded at home on your Sky+ or other PVR by streaming the content to the back of your headrest.
With everything connected the possibilities are endless, all you need is a ‘hub’ at home storing all your data, music, video etc. and an access terminal in your car or in your hand, and a 3G or WiFi signal to utilise and connect. At this very moment in time, I can connect to my Mac from my iPhone, my office PC and even my car depending on my location and we are still only in the early stages of Web 2.0. The web is already a major part of our lives and it is set to become more integrated, more synchronised, more connected. Exciting or scary? You decide.