With advances in technology, we have witnessed a global change in communication behaviors. When exploring computer-mediated technology, mediums of communication in which a person can utilize based on their desired outcome. People are less likely to use traditional methods of research for trustworthy information; the use of collaboration, which is defined in the strategic white paper ‘New communication behaviors in a Web 2.0 world- Changes, challenges and opportunities in the era of the Information Revolution’ written by Alcatel-Lucent as “the collective development of information and knowledge,” those seeking reliable information can now easily access “global knowledge” banks through webpages, online journals and a variety f search engines. In addition to the increase in knowledge flow, web-based social interaction and social media is also booming. Networking and keeping in contact with individuals worldwide is easier than ever before, one can connect with friends and family on Facebook, professionals, co workers and previous employers on LinkedIn and celebrities, news mediums and government officials on Twitter. When using each medium, however, the uses of the services that the site provides can altered based on what exactly the communicator is trying to accomplish from that specific site. For example, a college student uploading pictures and constantly changing their ‘check in’ location for their friends to see, will probably not be utilizing Facebook’s assets in the same way that a social media representative would be using it in order to create a product profile for a company to gain awareness to that new product.
In each of these forms of social media, users are asked to develop personalized pages, in order to attract and bond with those users who share similar interests. Niches are formed, however, with these websites expanding and users actively participating, to get their own voices heard, share their perspectives and find others who share comparable ideas, these small niches are rapidly growing to worldwide awareness groups. Additionally, smart phones and mobile devices such as ipads and tablets have helped allow users to update status, upload videos and pictures and broadcast messages, while on the go. “The evolution of broadband and IP has expanded the business of telecommunications service providers. Once solely concerned with the delivery of voice services, they are becoming truly multimedia companies, bringing together voice, data and content.”
When utilizing different tools regarding computer-mediated communication, the user must strategically decide whom the communicator’s intended audience is and how they would like to communicate with their targeted audience. Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 are terms that are used as frameworks to distinguish between different mediums of communications, with 1.0 being the most passive user and 3.0 being an active user utilizing a smartphone and/or ‘on the go’ technology. In September 20th’s Computer Mediated Communication class, we were asked to explore four types of communication channels (Webpage, Prezi, Twitter and Blogger) and discuss which category the channels would fall into.
I believe that the specific webpage that we used in class that listed the channels of communications based on their uses, would fall into a Web 1.0 category. I believe this because one person is writing the content of this page and pushing the material towards Internet users, who are dependent on the content of the creator and not able to alter and express their own opinion. On this website, you are merely accessing information, however, it does transition into the Web 2.0 phase because after you click on the link for the program, the door for platform to express one’s self is opened, upon creating an individual account.
I had little experience with Prezi before this class; however, I believe that it falls under the Web 2.0 category because numerous people can edit the same presentations simultaneously from different locations. We saw this when we were all asked to post our name and topics on the Prezi presentation during the class period. All the students in the class were altering the same document, thus multi-way channels of computer-mediated communication were opened. I knew the topics that my classmates across the room had chosen; I received messages from students via the Prezi site through various communication channels.
I believe that a Twitter and the Blogger are prime examples of Web 2.0 that has evolved into Web 3.0. Web 2.0 is the beginning of two-way communication, which covers blogs, wikis and social networking sites. On Twitter, you can ‘tweet’, post statuses, locations, ideas or simply anything that comes to your mind. You can ‘re-tweet’, someone that you follow’s individual post and/or ‘mention’ their posting. It is multi-way communication, allowing you to have conversations with numerous people at one time. Additionally, a blogger is also multi-way communication medium, once you post something, anyone can read it, and numerous people can be reading the same post simultaneously. All of the public can read your perceptions and comment on what you think.
I also believe that Webpage, Prezi, Twitter and Blogger mesh into Web 3.0 because of the technology of smartphones and applications that can access these webpages even when the user is not in a stationary place. All 3 frameworks, Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 build on and overlap each other, thus, each tier is essential to the growth of the next. The website (Web 1.0), a straight flow of information from page creator to user, can evolve into the twitter, blogger and prezi (Web 2.0), which is where users actively create and share information, express their personal opinions and even change the content of the site, and finally, with technology growth and development, all of these channels of communications can be accessed through mobile devises, if they are designed to be easily viewed on the smaller screen, or in an instance like Twitter, an “app” has been created for the program.
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