In response to the “The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet” article on Wired.com, I have to disagree with the idea that the WWW is dead per se. I also feel that the chart featured in the article is not an accurate representation of the Web’s worldwide usage, as it strictly focuses on American statistics. Though portable apps and other indirect internet media are growing in popularity, I believe there will always be a demand for the Web. In making these online services more convenient and portable, these emerging internet-based innovations suffer the price of being scaled down in proportion and quality. By this I mean that there will always be certain tasks that are just better handled on the traditional computer and internet browser (for instance, writing a research paper that uses multiple internet article quotations).
I don’t mean to portray these simplified, sleeker services as ‘evil’. In fact, I believe they have great potential in making certain online services more convenient. However, I would like to point out that the Web (however less portable than these innovations) houses a wider spectrum of tools, features, and possibilities than portable apps and feeds will ever have.
“But the Web is now 18 years old. It has reached adulthood.” I don’t believe age has anything to do with a service such as the Web becoming obsolete. Books have been around for centuries longer than PDF’s and digital copies have, but have they become outdated? No, sir! Also, I would consider the following quotation an overly strong generalization: “Blame human nature. As much as we intellectually appreciate openness, at the end of the day we favor the easiest path.” That’s not entirely true. Not all internet users want the simplest (easiest) path to completing their tasks. In fact, a large amount (including me) may prefer to have as much options and potential for optimization as possible. Some of us want to bake the cake ourselves, as opposed to having a slice handed to us.
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