[Read Reaction #1] Groundswell: From Web 2.0 To Web 3.0

In Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff’s book, the groundswell is described as a magnitude-8 earthquake – quick, powerful, and gives no more chance to those who do not take any precaution in advance. It pushes down all achievements the Internet has made so far, and tell us to adopt a new way of thinking if we are going to build the new cyber-society from the ashes of the old one. Based on what I’ve read in this book, groundswell seems indicates a force (or trend) that you could not resist. You could either follow the CEO of Sony Electronics, Rick Clancy, who was overwhelmed by the uncontrollable ratings and comments appearing on blogs, forums and discussion groups that pose a considerable influence on sales, or become another Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg.com who eventually changed his mind and stood with Internet groundswell in a war against the movie industry. No matter what, it seems unwise to be a naysayer of groundswell.

Web 2.0

                                                                                

From my perspective, it is the Web 2.0 that empowers the whole Internet community, making groundswell possible.

In the time of Web 1.0, the information flowed on a one-way channel, from the Internet to its users. A few people (internet-related businesses and media agencies) controlled all information, resource and voice, and Internet users only accessed anything that was published by those controllers (e.g., contents on the website). They have to pick up the information they needed from the huge information flow the Internet sends to them, and sometimes they may find nothing valuable at all.

The Internet underwent a structural change when we welcomed the Web 2.0. Our accessibility to the Internet dramatically increase due to the invention of the mobile network, and we utilize the Internet for different purposes (socializing, entertainment, etc.). Most importantly, the Internet no longer acts as the information provider. Instead, it is now more likely to be a platform where we share the information we have and also collect it from other users (user-generated contents). People connect to each other in this era. And the core of information exchange is not the privilege owned by a few people. Now everyone could be an Internet resource scavenger or an opinion leader.

The highly connective, interactive and socialized Web 2.0 lay a solid foundation of groundswell. It seems to me that those who start a groundswell on the Internet are no different from those ancient Greek politicians or scholars standing on the plaza, trying to encourage people to stand out through emotional speeches. They all use the most effective way of building connections with people at their time.

What would it be like in Web 3.0?

While many of us are still celebrating the mighty power of Web 2.0, some Internet pioneers cast their sights on Web 3.0. Furthermore, some people even claim that the time of Web 3.0 has already come.

What is Web 3.0? This simple question may get you dozens of different answers, because Web 3.0 is a simple term with a much more complicated meaning. But still, we could learn how it differs from Web 1.0/2.0 through an example provided by a Chinese blogger:

     Web 1.0 - You walk into a restaurant, and tell the chief to serve you a mapo beancurd. The chief tells you they can’t do that because they only serve Kung Pao Chicken here;

     Web 2.0 - You walk into a restaurant, tell the chief that you like mapo beancurd but also want to try something else. The chief recommends you spicy chili chicken based on your taste;

     Web 3.0 – You walk by a restaurant, but your assistant tells you that your wearable health sensor suggests you have some food, and since you like Szechwan food and has never walked into this restaurant before, it is time to pay a visit. The waiter serves the food immediately after you take a sit, and tell it is because the restaurant's AI indicates a great possibility of your visit today, and work out a list of food you might like.   

This is how Web 3.0 features: big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of everything (both the physical world and the cyber world). A groundswell in Web 3.0 might be like: you have an idea, and that’s all you need. The technology and the Internet will do all the rest for you, turning your idea into reality. Everyone is the user and the creator, and everyone is the ruled and the ruler. Groundswell occurs with the lowest cost.