FROM READ-ONLY DATA TO INTERACTIVE MEDIA:

AN OVERVIEWOF OUR RELIANCE TO THE WEB AND ITS

SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS

Technological advancements have led to lots of advancements in the World Wide Web. From a
web that could only present read-only data to the web that could handle interactivity, the World
Wide Webhas come a long way. From data searching to image searching, from online chatting to
video chatting, from blogging to vlogging, the web has improved a lot---so as the way we
communicate with each other and the way it affects our lives.

As technology and the web progresses; so as our reliance on it increases. The web has already
been deeply embedded into our lives that most of us can’t live without it. Since the web houses
various websites and search engines that cater to our various needs such as searching a recipe on
Google, watching our favorite series on Netflix, chatting with friends on Facebook, or even
enrolling in a course on Coursera---we can’t deny that we have a heavy reliance on the web.

The Evolution of the Web and How We Utilize it

We can’t deny the fact that the World Wide Web, “an information system on the internet that
allows documents to be connected to other documents by hypertext links, enabling the user to
search for information by moving from one document to another”(Dictionary.com), has already
been part of our lives since the beginning of its conception. In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee created the
first version of the World Wide Web called the Web 1.0. Compared to its newer versions, Web
1.0 can only cater a “read-only”data and has a “static and mono-directional”HTML pages. Due
to its linear nature, it has limited search and read capacity, and was eventually called a “web of
cognition” or“web of thought.” In this first version of the web, businesses started to advertise
their products and services through static web pages. Since it was “read-only”, the data
acquisition was just one-sided and the users were not able to contact the advertisers, but still, in a
way, it has been useful in sharing information about the said products and services.

Moreover, after Web 1.0, there came the Web 2.0. Web 2.0 was so much better than the previous
one that it was called a “read-write-publish” web and then, was eventually called the “web of

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communication” or “wisdom web.” Since it was “bi-directional”, people were able to
communicate and interact more with each other compared to the previous one. In this web came
the birth of blogs, RSS, wikis, mashups, and even the social media sites we knew today such as
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and the like. Web 2.0 paved way to a web with much
more social interactions and easy ways of connecting to other people. So far, individual persons,
businesses, educational establishments, medical establishments, and governments agencies were
utilizing this kind of web and it gave way to improvements in customer service, information
dissemination, and communication in general.

And furthermore, there are also these so-called webs such as; Web 3.0 which is called the “web
of cooperation” or the “read-write-execute” web; then, the Web 4.0which is also called the “web
of integration” or the “mobile web”; and lastly, the Web 5.0 which is called the “emotional web”.
These were just theoretical versions of the web but we are surely going in this direction. A web
that could analyze meanings and context of words instead of searching for keywords, such as the
Web 3.0, is not so far from reality. But, so far, to achieve an intelligent and an emotional web just
like Web 4.0 and Web 5.0respectively, would take us a much longer time to attain. These
theoretical versions of the web may sound far-fetched to some but these versions could be used
in improving information acquisition in the web in which the web would automatically analyze
the meanings of word phrases or talk to a person and assess his/her thoughts and feelings.

The Rise of New Media and Multimedia Technologies

As the web is evolving, so as its degree of human to human interaction or human to machine
interaction. And interaction, may it be interpersonal or even intrapersonal, is essential in forming
the web we know today---and that’s why “interactivity” gave way to the rise of the so-called
“new media” and “multimedia technologies.”

But before we discuss these two, let’s first define “interactivity.”According to Techtarget.com,
interactivity means“the dialog that occurs between a human being (or possibly another live
creature) and a computer program” or an interaction “with the browser (the Web application
program) and the pages that the browser brings to a user.”

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While Jens F. Jensen, in his study called “Interactivity: Tracking a New Concept in Media and
Communication Studies”,defined and discussed interactivity using three perspectives namely:
informatics, sociology, and media studies. In informatics, Jensen defined it as “the relationship
between an individual and a machine”while in sociology he defined it as “a mutual relationship
between two or more people.”And lastly in media studies, he defined it as“theassociation
between the text and the user, and the actions and communication used in relation with the use of
media.”And then furthermore, according to him interactivity signifies“a degree of a media’s
potential ability to let the user modify the content or the form of the media entity/data.”And that
is where “new media” and “multimedia technologies” come to play.

According to Webopedia.com, new media is the description of “content made available using
different forms of electronic communication made possible through the use of computer
technology” while according to Dictionary.com, it is a “means of mass communication using
digital technologies such as the Internet.”And based from these definitions, we can say that new
media includes social media platforms, blogging sites, news sites, electronic mails, chatrooms,
video and audio streaming sites, virtual realities, mobile apps and many more. Moreover, aside
from what was mentioned above, new media also involved traditional media such as traditional
newspapers and television programs, but in a way that it is digitalized or being streamed
online.And as what I stated above, Web 2.0 enabled the birth of these so-called “new media”
through its “bi-directional”, “read-write-publish”, and “interactive property”. But this
evolution would not just end here, for these “new media” would then gave rise to the so-called
“multimedia technologies”.

Multimedia, according to Professor Al Librero, should include but are not limited to these
descriptions: a)Multimedia doesn't have to digital... but it often is.; b) Digital multimedia
involves the simultaneous presentation of information using one or more different digital media
modalities.; c) Multimedia is interactive; d) Multimedia is best thought of as a description, not a
thing.;d) Just because something involves digital technology doesn't make it multimedia.; and e)
Multimedia is a term that was created in 1990s.

While in the other hand, Learn.orgdefines “multimedia technology” as a technology that,

“applies interactive computer elements, such as graphics, text, video, sound, and animation to
deliver a message”or a technology that “refers to interactive, computer-based applications that

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allow people to communicate ideas and information with digital and print elements.” From these
definitions, we can conclude that multimedia technology includes; photo/digital editing
softwares such as Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW; video editing softwares such as
iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere; sound editing applications such as Audacity,
Wavosaur,WavePad;and many more. Due to the web’s interactivity and never-ending demands
of new media, such technologies arose so as to cater the various needs of the people and the
different aspects of society. More information and more media content were demanded so as a
result, more multimedia technologies were needed.

Societal Implications of New Media and Multimedia Technologies

New Media and Multimedia Technologieshave indeed become a staple in our lives---especially in
today’s culture. Just like what Philip Brey discussed in his journal entitled, Theorizing the
Cultural Quality of New Media,he said that new media, “…being media for information and
communication, have become major carriers of cultural symbols; together with the "old" media,
they have become culture's circulatory system.”Moreover, in this journal, he also discussed that
culture, “is an adaptation mechanism that enables societies to better adapt to the environment
and to maintain social order and stability.”

In today’s era, we can say that we have already reached the so-called “technological culture” in
which technology has already been deeply rooted in our lives that it created its own culture. For
example, these days we can already say that a cellular phone is already an “artifact” or a
“symbol” of text messaging or voice calling so as a phablet (phone and tablet) or a smartphone.
But just as what Brey said in his journal, we should also be able to determine and be wary of the
social implications of these web and technological advancements in our lives; and for us to
always seek and uphold the “good”uses of these advancements.

Moreover, Breyalso discussed four controversies regarding these so-called new media and
multimedia technology. In his first discussion, he discussed about “virtual reality and hedonism”
in which he pointed out that with the optionof living in a virtual space, people might just engage
in hedonistic activities. While the second one would be the “instrumental value of cyberspace”in
which he discussed that our idea of a “good life” is being tested in the grounds that the real and
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virtual world would be undistinguishable; and that our definition of a “good life” would change.
Then, the third one would be about “virtual communities and conditions for well-being”in which
he discussed that strong community ties are necessary for individuals’ well-being and that online
communities hinders the formation and maintenance of geographical communities. And then
finally, the last one would be about “the internet and orthodox Judaism” in which he discussed
the one instance when Jewish rabbis banned the internet to Jewish houses because they claimed
that it contains “various kinds of temptations” and is therefore, “evil.”

Well, based from all of these, we can say that the advancements in technology and the internet
has raised a lot of criticism and birthed lots of perspectives because of its possible useful or
harmful implications.

But to put it in today’s context, let’s take the example of the proliferation of fake newsin various
social media sites such as Facebook. Facebook is supposedly a platform which enables people to
interact and communicate with each other people around the world. It was supposedly a safe
space for people to communicate, but it was not just the implication that we have expected---for
it already became a place for political propaganda. Fake news, spread by social media bloggers
or information leaders these days, were aimed to feed people wrong information in favor of a
certain political leaning. This then led to misunderstandings and major divisions of online
communities. Moreover, usage of a multimedia technologies, such as Photoshop was also used in
this schemes in which fake news propagators would edit out pictures and replace it with words or
imagery that would support their agenda.

Moreover, let’s also tackle the incident of “data leaks” in Facebook (which was used to influence
voters during the last US and Philippine Presidential elections) and the incidents of
cyberbullyingand scammingin social media. As I’ve earlier, social media was supposedly a safe
space for people to interact with each other, but certain people or group of people were using it
to their advantage so as to hurt or harm other people. Just like with the spread of fake
news,Facebook was again used to support political agenda, and that was when the
“supposedprivate data” of users were used by a certain organization to influence the previous
presidential elections. Then there was also this so-called “cyberbullying” in which some people
were bullied online through insulting words and the like. And moreover, there was this so-called

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“social media scamming” in which some people would pretend as someone else and ask other
people to give them large amount of money.

Then furthermore, let’s also take the example of“ATM skimming”in which ATM data were
copied in a device and were then used to withdraw money in different ATM locations.

And then lastly,let’s also consider the possibility of making weapons using 3D printers and a
more advanced manipulation of data using realistic looking CGIs (Computer Generated
Imagery), and etc.

As I’ve said in the beginning of this paper, for years now, the web has already been a part of our
lives, so as the technologies that are born with it. It was now deeply rooted in our culture that
scholars like Brey suggests that a deeper or in-depth study of these issues should be taken in
consideration so as to assess the harm or the betterment that it could result to our lives. And as
what Brey has pointed out, the new media, or other media that has to come in the future, must be
used for the benefit of the majority or the “good” of everyone, and not just for the benefit of a
few.

So I believe that, since we have a high reliance on the web and on the internet, we must always
be wary of the information or data that we share in there----because it could be used in various
ways that we know nothing about or ways that could eventually harm us; and that we should
always strive to use all the web and technological advancements that we have in the present and
will have in the future for the benefit of the majority.

References (from myportal):

Aghaei, S., Nematbakhsh, M., &Farsani, H. (2012). Evolution of the world wide web: from web
1.0 to web 4.0. International Journal of Web & Semantic Technology, 3 (1), pp. 1-8. doi:
10.5121/ijwest.2012.31011 Retrieved May 25, 2018, from
http://www.ftsm.ukm.my/ss/Book/EVOLUTION%20OF%20WWW.pdf

Brey, P. (2007). Theorizing the cultural quality of new media, 11 (1). Retrieved May 25, 2018,
from https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/SPT/v11n1/brey.html

Flat World Business. (n.d.). Web 1.0 vs Web 2.0 vs Web 3.0 vs Web 4.0 vs Web 5.0 – A bird’s eye
on the evolution and definition. Retrieved May 25, 2018, from
https://flatworldbusiness.wordpress.com/flat-education/previously/web-1-0-vs-web-2-0-vs-web-
3-0-a-bird-eye-on-the-definition/

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Jesen, J.(n.d.).Tracking a new concept in media and communication studies. Retrieved May 25,
2018, from http:// www.nordicom.gu.se/ reviewcontents/ ncomreview/ ncomreview198/
jensen.pdf

Learn.org. (n.d.). What Is Multimedia Technology?.Retrieved May 25, 2018, from

https://learn.org/articles/What_is_Multimedia_Technology.html

SearchMicroservices. (n.d.). What is interactivity?.Retrieved May 25, 2018,

fromhttps://searchmicroservices.techtarget.com/definition/interactivity

Additional references:

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). the definition of new media. Retrieved May 25, 2018,
fromhttp://www.dictionary.com/browse/new-media?s=t

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). the definition of world wide web. Retrieved May 25, 2018, from
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/world-wide-web?s=t

Sites.google.com. (n.d.). 03. Defining Multimedia - MMS 100: Introduction to (Digital)

Multimedia Studies. Retrieved May 25, 2018,
fromhttps://sites.google.com/a/upou.edu.ph/mms100/unit-1/01/defining-multimedia