Web 2.0

Sep 27 2007

I just read this post from CrunchGear and I think it is spot on. You need to read why this guy thinks Human Laziness Will Burst The Web 2.0 Bubble?

I mentioned to a friend the other day that the only way all these services get any of the user-contributed content that is critical to them is because people aren’t working anymore. They’re spending time on Facebook, or on Flickr, or writing reviews on Amazon, or Twitter, or on something else besides their actual work they get paid to not do.

People are lazy. Web 2.0 has us all right now being anything but lazy. We’re blogging. Writing reviews. Editing Wikipedia for the good of mankind. Social Networking so we all feel important like we’re in high school again. And as the best part of this article points out:

Whenever it gets here, Web 3.0 may be bigger and better than what we have now, but you can bet that it won’t be foolish enough to rely on the unreliable. And there is nothing more unreliable than human nature.

Amen.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Bookmark and Share
4 Comments; Filed under Trends
  • http://jordy.gundy.org/ Jordy

    I have a good response but, typing… so difficult… must keep… but too much…

    I give up. :)

    Actually, I agree that most people are lazy (or “busy”), but there’s definitely a “vocal” minority that do post, review, edit, etc. Maybe they’ll get burnt out, but for things they really enjoy they just might not. I hope not anyway –how will I know what restaurants to eat at when I’m out of town? :)

  • http://jordy.gundy.org Jordy

    I have a good response but, typing… so difficult… must keep… but too much…

    I give up. :)

    Actually, I agree that most people are lazy (or “busy”), but there’s definitely a “vocal” minority that do post, review, edit, etc. Maybe they’ll get burnt out, but for things they really enjoy they just might not. I hope not anyway –how will I know what restaurants to eat at when I’m out of town? :)

  • http://www.jeffreybjordan.blogspot.com Jeff

    I think your post proves your theory wrong.

    I agree that human nature causes most people to succumb laziness. I also believe that human nature gives most people a desire to communicate, “belong”, and feel like their thoughts are being heard and appreciated.

    As you said in your post, people are spending time on Facebook, Twitter, etc. instead of doing the work that they get paid to do. This is because they are lazy and would rather do something that is fun for them: participating in community-oriented web services. It’s not work to them.

    You may be right with regard to blogging. I don’t think it will ever go away, but posting frequency may wain as people settle in on how much work it is to maintain a blog. (I’d lump myself into that group.) But, as Jordy pointed out, there will always be a “vocal minority” that wants to be heard.

    Certainly, this Web 2.0 thing that we are passing through is not the be-all-and-end-all of the web. New stuff will come out that makes this 2.0 stuff look like 0.2, but I think that community, communication, social networking (in one form or another), and citizen journalism will continue to play a big role moving forward.

  • http://www.jeffreybjordan.blogspot.com/ Jeff

    I think your post proves your theory wrong.

    I agree that human nature causes most people to succumb laziness. I also believe that human nature gives most people a desire to communicate, “belong”, and feel like their thoughts are being heard and appreciated.

    As you said in your post, people are spending time on Facebook, Twitter, etc. instead of doing the work that they get paid to do. This is because they are lazy and would rather do something that is fun for them: participating in community-oriented web services. It's not work to them.

    You may be right with regard to blogging. I don't think it will ever go away, but posting frequency may wain as people settle in on how much work it is to maintain a blog. (I'd lump myself into that group.) But, as Jordy pointed out, there will always be a “vocal minority” that wants to be heard.

    Certainly, this Web 2.0 thing that we are passing through is not the be-all-and-end-all of the web. New stuff will come out that makes this 2.0 stuff look like 0.2, but I think that community, communication, social networking (in one form or another), and citizen journalism will continue to play a big role moving forward.

Copyright © Jeremy Hanks, All Rights Reserved