Web 2.0: Definition

The term ‘Web 2.0’ first became popular after O’Reilly Media’s Web 2.0 conference in 2004, where it was used to describe the concept of utilising the ‘web as a platform’. Although the term suggests a new version or technical upgrade to the World Wide Web, most of the technological components that form the basis of Web 2.0 have existed since the inception of the web, retroactively labeled Web 1.0. The term Web 2.0 is used to describe a shift in how developers and end-users utilize the web. During the Web 1.0 phase, web content was developed by a small number of writers and designed to be static sources of information, where a large number of users would simply view/read web content. In recent times, after the inception of the Web 2.0 era, the number of writers developing web content has increased dramatically, as new web architecture encourages users contribute to website content and exercise control of that web content (ironically, this is closer to Tim Berner-Lee’s original concept of the web as a democratic, personal, do-it-yourself medium of communication). This proliferation of interconnectivity and interactivity of web content is essentially the foundation of Web 2.0 and has lead to the development and evolution of web-based social networks and communities, hosted services and applications.

By combining and editing definitions from the O’Reilly Radar website, I have attempted to develop a single sentence to define Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is an internet application/website that harnesses network effects to promote greater usage, whose value and appeal intrinsically grows as a result of the use and contributions of its users. O’Reilly has also referred to Web 2.0 as a business revolution in the computer industry, although I believe this to be an inaccurate statement. Web 2.0 is a consumer revolution that businesses can take advantage of. Consumers now expect to participate and interact online through commenting, uploading and contribution of web content.