There are two key books that give a more social take on Web 2.0 and that might interest techies as these books give a rather broader sweep.
The most critical is:
"The Cult of the Amateur: How Blogs, MySpace, YouTube and the Rest of Today's User Generated Media Are Killing Our Culture and Economy"
by Andrew Keen.
It may shock techies that the incredibly clever and flexible code that has been devised to enable these websites might be seen as having potentially negative side-effect on society. How can something which promotes that marvellous thing "social interaction" possibly be bad?
Andrew Keen explains, and some younger folk may come to see this primarily as a generational divide.
As other commenters have mentioned on this thread, techies are merely pushing the envelope to produce what kids who've never lived without the existence of the Internet or mobile phones would expect to be offered.
But young folk who've always inhabited that brightly coloured bubble may be blinkered from recognising the downside, for they are so swept up in the ingenuity of each new development, and love the functionality that it provides, day in, day out.
Imagine telling Americans they have to give up their car and will have to bicycle or walk to work to save the planet - "No way!" they'll shout - "sod the planet; I can't survive without my SUV"
That's how I imagine trying to show people in the bubble that maybe Web 2.0 does have a downside - perhaps therefore its inadvisable to post this on this forum - but maybe you'd find it interesting to read an alternative view.
Andrew Keen's arguments might do that - or maybe you are so convinced of the "inherent goodness" of Web 2.0 that you won't hear a word said against it.
The second book is:
"We-think: The Power of Mass Creativity" by Charles Leadbeater
who appears to be a fully paid up true convert to the amazing delights of community participation tools that characterise Web 2.0.
He even wrote the draft of the book online, garnering comments from all and sundry after each chapter.
He doesn't examine any of the difficulties identified in the "Cult of the amateur" but the book really rushes you along in a breathless sprint through the delights that surround us and await us as Web 2.0 develops.
He sounds like an old man who is genuinely captivated by social software and social websites but who is worried that if he voices any criticism he will be seen as unhip, and lose the "cool" he's accumulated by detailing this brave new world.
So one book is critical; and the other is from an enthusiast - you judge their arguments.
Slashdot Mirror
The most critical is:
"The Cult of the Amateur: How Blogs, MySpace, YouTube and the Rest of Today's User Generated Media Are Killing Our Culture and Economy"
by Andrew Keen.
It may shock techies that the incredibly clever and flexible code that has been devised to enable these websites might be seen as having potentially negative side-effect on society. How can something which promotes that marvellous thing "social interaction" possibly be bad?
Andrew Keen explains, and some younger folk may come to see this primarily as a generational divide.
As other commenters have mentioned on this thread, techies are merely pushing the envelope to produce what kids who've never lived without the existence of the Internet or mobile phones would expect to be offered.
But young folk who've always inhabited that brightly coloured bubble may be blinkered from recognising the downside, for they are so swept up in the ingenuity of each new development, and love the functionality that it provides, day in, day out.
Imagine telling Americans they have to give up their car and will have to bicycle or walk to work to save the planet - "No way!" they'll shout - "sod the planet; I can't survive without my SUV"
That's how I imagine trying to show people in the bubble that maybe Web 2.0 does have a downside - perhaps therefore its inadvisable to post this on this forum - but maybe you'd find it interesting to read an alternative view.
Andrew Keen's arguments might do that - or maybe you are so convinced of the "inherent goodness" of Web 2.0 that you won't hear a word said against it.
The second book is:
"We-think: The Power of Mass Creativity" by Charles Leadbeater
who appears to be a fully paid up true convert to the amazing delights of community participation tools that characterise Web 2.0.
He even wrote the draft of the book online, garnering comments from all and sundry after each chapter.
He doesn't examine any of the difficulties identified in the "Cult of the amateur" but the book really rushes you along in a breathless sprint through the delights that surround us and await us as Web 2.0 develops.
He sounds like an old man who is genuinely captivated by social software and social websites but who is worried that if he voices any criticism he will be seen as unhip, and lose the "cool" he's accumulated by detailing this brave new world.
So one book is critical; and the other is from an enthusiast - you judge their arguments.