Web 2.0

A recent Intel commercial shows how computers have evolved since their invention. progressing from pong, to desktops, to wireless laptops, to e-mail, and finally to an Intel Processing Chip that learns on its own and becomes more powerful by itself. This new processor is much like the "Web 2.0" that Jenkins mentions in his article.

"Web 2.0" includes sites such as YouTube, Wikipedia, Flickr, and Facebook: all of which depend on consumers to grow and expand. With each additional video on YouTube, entry in Wikipedia, and user on Facebook, the knowledge base of the internet expands. Anyone can add information to these sites which can be viewed by anyone. The internet is an extremely valuable tool for acquiring knowledge. Everything you want to know is found on the web. Universities now have podcasts or videos of their lectures and classes online and books can be found and read online also. The idea of YouNiversities, a conglomeration of academia students blogging, discussing, and debating over any idea or theory, is a wonderful idea. However, I cannot see this actually happening. Yes, the internet is a unique way to network and find information, but I still believe their is a special power in personal meetings and face-to-face discussions. Real life debates require us to think on our feet and make split-second decisions while the internet allows us to look up the answer before we make our argument. In a way, it is slowly eroding our own sense of thought. I have no need to think about what the answer to a question is if I can google it. We cannot let the internet erode our thought process, but we must use it as a tool for communication of thoughts and ideas.