Not everyone remembers when the internet started, actually some of us were not even born back then. However we can definitely feel its constant impact on our daily lives because since its establishment, technology has been moving forward in a hectic speed leaving nearly everyone struggling to catch up.
It all started with Web1.0 which started around 1990 till around 2004, and it was considered “Read -only Web” which meant that users used to search for information and read it only without any interaction.(nancyc 2020)
Which meant that the power of data sharing online was in the hands of a few, the thing that must have raised the question of why should only a few have the power to feed information to the internet? What makes them the experts on these topics? And Why these topics only or specifically?
Which Led to Web2.0 the “Read-Write” era of the internet which revolutionized people connectivity and interactivity as it connected them globally and gave the users the ability to become contributors to the worldwide web through Wikipedia, social media, blogging etc…., this happened between (late 2004-2016) approximately. (nancyc 2020) It created a various range of online business as well from: e-commerce, social media content creators…etc. And suddenly it became easy to do almost everything in our daily lives online; you can work online, meet your friends, shop, and play or even visit places and libraries online.
However this type of accessibility encouraged people to spend more and more time in front of their screens because basically everything is now digitalized and one click away. Nonetheless, spending too much time in front of a screen has side effects on one’s overall health, from sleep disturbance, to vision discomfort, to heart diseases…..etc., (Wise 2016) not to forget that studies have shown that spending too much time on social media can cause mental health issues especially among teenagers and young adults from depression, to anxiety, to loneliness and many more.(Edmonds 2020) Social media has created this unrealistic life standards that have put pressure on people and contributed to the creation of a very stressful lifestyle. Not only that but it’s designed in an addictive way that keeps us wanting more.
So maybe we ought to be more careful of what we wish for, because technology can be a double edged-weapon. And although some people including myself have chosen to take a step back from social media and online presence and return to the offline world to regain their lives with actual human interactions and maintain their mental health, others were seeking for more and were interested in going beyond the digital contribution provided by Web2.0.
From here came the idea of Web 3.0 “the executable web” which took place in (2016+), the web that connects people, places and things and provide them with digital ownership and assets. The one with the virtual places, block chain, crypto currencies, AI and immersive realities…etc. (Matade and Rajeev 2017)It’s been combined lately with the word “Metaverse” which is basically virtual worlds that depend mainly on Web 3.0, where people can interact, work, trade, play….et.it represents what our future lives can look like (Marr 2022). The Metaverse will open doors for designers, artists and innovators to design our future lives and create virtual versions of anything that they wish to create in our real world but can’t yet.
Though the opportunities will become infinite it feels like were becoming more and more immersed into the virtual/online worlds. Which draws a big question on the long term effects this has on the users’ health. The “Web” keeps advancing and no one really knows when and if it will ever slow down. Actually there are some talks about Web 4.0“mobile-web” which targets mobilizing the internet with its surroundings and Web 5.0 “Symbiosis” which aims to increase the emotional interaction between human and computers. (“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” 2018).
It feels like we are stuck in between the webs now and we need to figure a way to catch up with these fast paced developments without harming ourselves.
References
Antar, Mariam. 2020. “The OSI Model Explained.” DEV Community. July 26, 2020. https://dev.to/mariamantar/the-osi-model-explained-1lj5.
Edmonds, Rhys. 2020. “Anxiety, Loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The Impact of Social Media on Young People’s Mental Health | Centre for Mental Health.” Www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk. Centre For Mental Health. 2020. https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/anxiety-loneliness-and-fear-missing-out-impact-social-media-young-peoples-mental-health
Marr, Bernard. 2022. “The Important Difference between Web3 and the Metaverse.” Forbes. February 22, 2022. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2022/02/22/the-important-difference-between-web3-and-the-metaverse/?sh=2c9ef7eb5af3
Matade, Rutuja, and Srijin Rajeev. 2017. “COMPARATIVE STUDY of WEB 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0.” International Journal of Science Technology and Management 06 (02).
nancyc. 2020. “World Wide Web and Its Journey from Web 1.0 to Web 4.0 [PDF].” Presentica. May 16, 2020. https://www.presentica.com/doc/11352936/world-wide-web-and-its-journey-from-web-1-0-to-web-4-0-pdf-document
“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.” 2018. WordPress.com. WordPress.com. May 18, 2018. https://flatworldbusiness.wordpress.com/flat-education/previously/web-1-0-vs-web-2-0-vs-web-3-0-a-bird-eye-on-the-definition/
Wise, Steven. 2016. “The Unexpected Effects of All That Screen Time.” Rally Health. Rally Health. September 26, 2016. https://www.rallyhealth.com/health/unexpected-effects-screen-time
