Web 2.0 vs Social 3.0 - The Next Generation

It is no surprise that in this period of rapid technological development, the way we interact with the internet is changing.

While still useful, the traditional Web 1.0 sites simply provided information; the mostly read-only web.  They are content driven and the user has no way to increase their involvement or interact with the interface.

We then moved into Web 2.0, sites that support asynchronous collaboration; the wildly read-write web that encourages interaction between people through sites such from Facebook to Edmodo, from Pintrest to Flickr.  These sites move beyond mere posting of content by allowing the user to become part of the process through collaboration.

We are now moving into Social 3.0, software (sites and apps) that support synchronous collaboration; real-time, simultaneous, collaboration.  The shift away from 'Web' being caused by the vast array of apps running on mobile devices that have now been developed to complement web pages.

So as we move into this new realm, what defines Social 3.0?  Norris & Soloway (2014) propose the following:

• Two or more individuals verbally conversing
• While those two or more individuals are engaged doing "something" inside an app or in a web-page.
• While those two or more individuals are either co-located, or more interestingly, not co-located.

As educators we need to ensure the content we deliver is relevant, valuable and specific to our students needs.  If there is new functionality in Social 3.0 that help us to do this, can we optimise it?  Just like we do with Web 2.0?  Absolutely!  I think we would be foolish not to, and I doubt we'll have much choice!

This is where an understanding of Web 3.0 becomes important.  The pretense behind Web 3.0 is that content will be made more relevant through context.  The internet will begin to understand you and your specific needs better, by considering which devices you have, or are searching on, the location you are searching from, your previous and current relationship with the content, your preferences (and how they shift over time), your behaviours, your buying history, your personally trusted friends and colleagues across different social networks.  In other words, thanks to this new functionality, the semantic web will deliver the precise content a unique individual is looking for, in the right format, at the right time - and much more too! (Seagar, 2011).