To be sure, the world wide web, or “internet” will be historically viewed as the hallmark of our generation. Already, there are pop songs depicting the nostalgia of the pre-internet era:

…Splashin’ through the sand bar

Talkin’ by the campfire

It’s the simple things in life, like when and where

We didn’t have no internet

But man I never will forget

The way the moonlight shined upon her hair…

-Kid Rock, All Summer Long

A new millennium ushered in the era of “Web 2.0,” which transformed the internet from simply an electronic version of print media into a two-way communication tool. Now, users could not only post their stuff online, they could actually receive a response from their readers, and carry on dialogue. Discussion was no longer just for “discussion forums,” but happened in the comment sections of weblogs (”blogs,”) and on “social networking” sites. No sooner had the term “Web 2.0″ become mainstream, necessitating a retroactive labeling of the original internet as “Web 1.0,” than people began to speculate about what “Web 3.0″ would look like. Programmers had a convenient answer: They were already working on something called the “Semantic Web,” which would allow software to understand language and derive meaning from words, rather than just using the letters as data. For example, Web 3.0 technology would be able to distinguish the subtle differences in meaning between the two phrases, “Windows Vista rocks!” vs. “Don’t you just love Windows Vista!” But while techies were pursuing artificial intelligence, social networkers were harnessing the power of human intelligence. Rather than waiting for a computer program to process data submitted by users, the users began to process the data themselves. Open source technology allowed anyone who had the skills and desire to develop applications that would make existing software work better for them and for other users. Video, mobile, wireless, and blue-tooth technology has made such great strides, that even the most avid geeks can now do much of their “computing” on the go, and are no longer tied to their desktops 24/7. The line between “online” and “real life” is hardly distinguishable, as users can now interface however they like, even face-to-face, just like “real people,” which, they now remember, they are. Instead of asking “www.! What’s it good for?!”, we’re now more likely to give our “@twitter” ID than our phone number to new friends. We link-in, facebook, google, and continue to add verbs to our techno-vocabulary. Our new social networks can not only help us locate our friends online, but can also help us find people we might want to know, locate stories we might want to read, and search for better solutions to our needs. While conferences are being held to discuss how the semantic web will improve our lives in the future, we forgot to wait for it. Certainly, new technological advances will enhance our online experience, but with discussions about Web 4.0 already beginning, the “arrival” of the semantic web promises to be almost as climactic and historically significant as Windows Me or the Y2K bug. The real news is that we the people are figuring out how to make technology work for us, not the other way around. Happy New Year, everyone!

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