Task 1b - Reader 1

Okay so I have started off a little bit baffled but after taking a bit of time and re-reading I am starting to get a bit of a grasp around Reader 1 and the concept of Web 2.0. As a regular user of social media sites such as facebook, twitter and instagram I have to admit I can take for granted the easy access I have to communication on a social and professional scale. Until I looked through reader 1 have been very oblivious to the process of how communications have developed over time as to me this is something I have just done automatically without really considering how beneficial it has been to my life. 

Something that has really bought to light some of the major advances from Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 is O'Reilly's "meme" map as shown below.

Web 2.0 has acted as a big step for many people in terms of the social and professional aspects of their lives. It has enabled people to not only convey information but it allows discussion and debate and allowed the internet to be a platform for opinions and information to be accessed globally with just the touch of a button. 

Web 2.0 for example is aiding me as a BAPP student greatly as it allows collaboration, critique and comments on my blog which is helping me to grow as a professional and learn as a student, also allowing editing to ensure what is written comes across as intended. Without Web 2.0, courses such as BAPP would not be able to run as efficiently as the distance learning aspect of it relies heavily on social media in order to be able to communicate and guide our learning. For me as a dancer it has aided me greatly, it has allowed me immediate access to sites such as youtube where I can watch, learn and discuss about other dancers, choreographers and companies all over the world which can help me research into possible employment and study and learn new skills.

There are also some negative aspects to Web 2.0. Understandably in this country there is freedom of speech, but such freedom to say whatever someone wants to such a wide audience can sometime cause offense. There is regularly cases on the news where people in the media such as well known MP's who have a wide circle of followers may say something accidentally which they think is just a casual comment on twitter and it can offend thousands of people and could possibly jeopardize their careers. Ethical consideration is something that everyone using social media must be aware of. The statistics shown in reader 1 say that there is over 1 billion users on Facebook, 800 million users on YouTube and 500 million users on Twitter. The vast of people using these types of sites makes it very easy for anyone to see what you have posted so you must be aware of how vast your possible audience when posting things. Also from a professional point of view you have to be wary when applying for jobs that possible employers may look on your Facebook or other sites and you don't want the most recent photo on your wall to be the one of you last saturday night looking a bit worse for wears to say the least because that maybe be detrimental to the impressions someone ma get of you.

I, like many people in Britain, rely heavily on Web 2.0 and social media in day to day life and I think it has come to the point for many where we couldn't imagine our lives without it. People may disagree but I do not think that is detrimental at all, in fact I think it is a huge advantage to our lives socially and professionally if used in the right way and not abused. Although there are flaws in the system Web 2.0 is always developing and I think it can only get better. I would love to hear everyones comments!