20 Aug 10

[Controversial] The Web is Dead. Long Live the Internet

An opinion on the Wired article by Vik Kathuria

Read the Wired article - The Web is Dead. Long Live the Internet

Somewhat controversial piece (but that's Wired's intent really) authored by famed Wired editor and author of “The Long Tail”, Chris Anderson. It jibes with an Adage article from earlier this week regarding whether brands actually need destination websites anymore. It argues that as users increasingly use the internet throughout their daily lives via apps, streaming radio, etc., they are increasingly moving away from the standard web browsers to closed networks.

The web, the article says, is a thing of the past, and the use of PCs to surf the web will be overtaken by smartphones within 5 years.  "The web is dead" tagline jars with me, but then again it's coming from Wired who pronounced the browser dead back in 1997!

This trend is more or less what the bear market case on Google is based on, that if closed networks control the traffic, and users don’t go to browser based sites that are indexed and discovered by search engines (the Facebook business closed network model), then Google is going to have real problems in the future. This article presents a point/counterpoint as to how that might happen: one side claims the “blame” is on the user, who seeks ever more convenient tools, and is willing to pay for the difference – human nature is responsible for the move to a closed network, driven by users. The other side cites “megalomaniacs”, like Zuckerberg; saying business titans have driven the change, through accumulation and ferocious ad competition. A response article: notes that Wired may have gone a little far; as web use is still growing… small screens may not be ideal for web surfing, but the introduction of tablets has brought a whole new audience to the web. The story continues....