Here is a summary of my discoveries on web 2.0 culture.

The prospect of web 2.0 culture fully integrating into society is undoubtedly a risk. The freedom that digital culture proposes is a threat to industry and the availability of information a risk to privacy. However there are also some benefits to digital culture such as the ability for communication and the concept of mass user uploaded content (explained in De Certau’s piece on the conversation). To unleash the full potential of web 2.0 we need to re-evaluate some outdated laws and re-consider such topics as authorship and ownership. Also due to the availability of free entertainment and software we need to consider new ways of making money (as covered in my blog- through advertising and the increase of live events). I believe that the risk of entering the realm of web culture is a technological progression that promises to revolutionise the way we live from convenience in everyday life in technology we take for granted (such as satellite navigation or mp3) to technology that gives us capabilities that have never before been possible (look at www.chatroulette.com or www.facebook.com) . The future of web2.0 is in our hands, specifically in more developed countries, and we have to make somewhat of a trade off. It’s difficult to plan what the right action to take is because it is all moving very fast, users need to be careful that free sharing doesn’t provoke big business (that is losing money) to try to restrict the freedom of information. The fear however is that once we make this innovative utopia a reality, how do we make money? We are working towards this goal without actually knowing what’s going to happen once it is complete. The question that needs to be asked once we have assessed the risk would appear to be- is it worth it? The gamble is this-



The pot:

Ultimate freedom to share knowledge/information (from news to anything)/creativity/problem solving

The chance of a better, more convenient lifestyle

The possibility of technology far greater than we can currently imagine

The advancement/ evolution of the human race



The stake:

Privacy

Authorship

Industry

Commerce

Advertising

Government

Society?



The odds:

Unknown



Personally I have reached my own conclusion during my weeks of study of the digital environment in which we live. My conclusion begins with a question:



How would you feel about going backwards? Continuing on a route to eventual extinction in the same fashion in which we have done for thousands of years except knowing that we could have achieved so much more?

Such a question is ridiculous, and further more obsolete as I believe that the future of web2.0 has already been determined. It is determined by the human need for information and our capacity for enlightenment. And it is determined by the emphasis in schools on becoming tech savvy leading us into the next generation of a computer literate society. So ironically it is the human aspect of web2.0/our endeavours with it that secure its future and no one can stop the progress, not even Rupert Murdoch.