Web 3.0

Technology does a lot of cool stuff. And it is becoming capable of doing more cool stuff everyday.
What is Web 3.0? 3D technologies and virtual worlds? Systematic integration of vast disconnected pools of data? Using mobile technology to enable true anywhere, just-in-time computing?

Probably all of those things. But should it? It is entirely possible that that is the equivalent of seeing the trees and not the forest. For a quick illustration – check out NPR’s recent ‘blogging’ inspired discussion of notions of the individual and society.

http://www.onpointradio.org/shows/2007/06/20070614_b_main.asp

But let’s move on. Let’s pick a more tactical starting point. For example, these days technology helps you:
1) Pay bills automatically,
2) Buy Def Leppard songs without a trip to the record store, guilt, or clothes, and
3) Make business connections in Nairobi over your morning coffee, while nakedly paying bills and unabashedly buying Def Leppard songs.

This is pretty great, I hope we can all agree.

But acquiring the ability to do remarkable things doesn’t make them right or important things, does it? Another list of things technology has recently helped people do:
1) Prey on children in chat rooms
2) Sell people products they don’t need and can’t afford
3) Steal your identity

In fact, nearly every innovation out there has a dark side – why? Look at the definition of technology… http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/technology. Draw your own conclusions.

So a question to ask is “Where is technology headed?” But that is a pretty simplistic question – it is going where money can be made. The real answer to the question “What is Web 3.0?” is one that will probably be answered by VC money or a similar factor.

A better question to ask might be “What is technology’s purpose, and how will the next wave of technologies help to realize it?” Another way of phrasing this question is this – “What is the purpose or intent of technology?”

But I like this question best – Does technology increase my ability to be accountable for myself and how I live, or less so? In fact, I submit that this should be the focus of Web 3.0.

Here are three reasons why:
1) To date, our technology development cycles have focused on 3 “I’s” – infrastructure (fiber, networks, PCs, devices, and so on), interconnection (for example, web 2.0 social networking or virtual worlds), and information (the data passing between inconnected folks through said infrastructure). In reality, these are basically building blocks for an effective mirror of the outside world offline (sorry, online). An OO programmer’s dream – also an amazing body of innovation that is extremely powerful. Connected to a factory production line or a Roomba, we have basically reproduced a stunning replica of ourselves.

2) But let’s be frank, we haven’t been the most responsible users of innovation in the past. We have determined, through careful study and research, that spitting massive amounts of pollution into our environment is…drum roll please…stupid. I think that has something to do with the dark side of innovation. http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/ (no endorsement implied, just information)

3) We have furthermore concluded that sedentary lifestyles, filled with plentiful supplies of food, are slowly killing us and our children. http://www.davidkatzmd.com/opose_summary.asp (no endorsement implied, just information)

So the real question is why wouldn’t Web 3.0′s main goal be to leverage a mechanism for efficiently moving intelligence and decision support to individuals desperately in need of it?

I’ll let that hang out there until the next post.