Web 2.0

The title of the video, “The Machine is Us/ing Us” is a clever play on words that describes the boom in the use of computers, the internet, and web 2.0. Now with just a touch of a finger we can be connected to millions of people around the world via the web. We have access not only to other people but to the information they withhold. It’s incredible to think that with one small machine we can obtain information about businesses, countries, world events, celebrity gossip, all because someone put it out there for everyone to see. In that way, the machine is us because it can contain/display our thoughts and knowledge. It is also using us because we are the ones that put the information out there, but ultimately we are just adding to the immense about of material that is contained on the machine/the web. It makes you wonder if we are actually using the information out there for us and what we are using it for. The web also seems to control us because it has become such a big part of today’s society. People today have become obsessed with the web (blogging, facebooking, instant messaging, emailing) that we often spend a great portion of our day on our computers.

Web 2.0 is therefore a great effecter of someone who is ready to enter the workforce. The person can now easily access information about jobs that they wish to apply to. They can use that information to gain knowledge of the company and judge whether it is somewhere they want to work, average salary, how the company’s stocks are doing, etc. They also have information readily obtainable to them about what jobs are available, how to set up a resume, interviewing tips, and other things that could give them an edge over people applying. Someone just starting their career in this day in age would probably be expected to know a lot about how to use the web. Almost every career and many jobs now require you to use the internet in some form- whether the company has their own website or simply just interoffice emailing. People who are technologically savvy definitely would have an advantage over people who are not as the workforce is quickly becoming web 2.0 based. So people who are already in the workforce would probably be expected to learn about the web or would be at an extreme disadvantage to their newer younger generation employees.

When the video says “we will have to rethink everything” it means we have to look at communicating with other people and the way we access our information in a different light. Businesses are able to communicate with clients around the world, meaning that their knowledge and success can easily be expanded. Also formal letters, personal visits, and conference calls are being replaced by emails, instant messages, and chat rooms. The infrastructure of businesses is becoming internet based and controlled. Because of the large amount of information that is available online, business can also obtain information about their competitors easier. The business that is able to submit proposals quicker or has more knowledge of the internet is usually the one that wins over the client. The power the internet has is so great that we have to rethink how we use it and what its purpose is in our lives.