2.0 hype put into perspective
Internet: The craze for Web 2.0 is limited to a minority.
Internet The mania surrounding Web 2.0 is the preserve of a minority. The vague term Web 2.0 is making advertisers sick to their stomachs. Alarm bells are ringing at every corner and symposium. Trend gurus like to send traditional media and their business models into early retirement with words like "swarm intelligence". However, the situation is not as bleak as is often claimed. In the research article "Web 2.0: Usage and user types" in the publication Media Perspektiven (4/2007), four authors from two German research institutes (see box) deal with the controversial trend. Interesting: The new web is largely unknown to the average user. Only one in ten surfs the Net Release 2.0. The majority of the population is indifferent to the virtual exchange of opinions.
The report refers to various studies that were carried out last year. Using both quantitative and qualitative studies, the authors attempt to trace the current state of the Internet. Interesting: Internet use has hardly changed in the last eight years. The Web 2.0 hype in the media basically only refers to five percent of the total population who use Web 2.0 on a daily basis. The majority are elsewhere. Mostly on search engine sites or in the protected area of home banking. Email communication has been the number one Internet application for years. And this will not change.
Web 2.0 is therefore merely the playing field of a small minority. The profile of its users corresponds to that of the Internet pioneers 20 years ago: male, above-average income and very well educated. They mainly use video communities and wiki sites, with the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia being the most popular Community 2.0 application.
But even this group of early adopters is struggling with the new services. Active use is the exception, the researchers write. According to the results, just a third of Web 2.0 users produce and design content. The rest are "entertainment seekers" and "information seekers" who are not looking for opportunities to contribute, but generally only consume content.
Effects on other media The authors of the study see no danger for traditional media. This is also because the internet is primarily a communication medium and not an information medium. E-mails and instant messages are the main reasons why people go online. The authors of the report conclude that the high credibility of traditional media and their understanding of quality remain important categories that secure their place in a changing world of offerings.
Christian Lüscher
To the study The article "Web 2.0: Usage and user types"
was published in Media Perspektiven (4/2007). The report is based on the results of the ARD/ZDF Online Study 2006, the Youth, Information and (Multi-)Media (JIM) Study 2006 and the surveys conducted by the Result media research institute and the SWR research center. The data from the last eight years show that many elements of Web 2.0 are not a new phenomenon. (cl)
The report refers to various studies that were carried out last year. Using both quantitative and qualitative studies, the authors attempt to trace the current state of the Internet. Interesting: Internet use has hardly changed in the last eight years. The Web 2.0 hype in the media basically only refers to five percent of the total population who use Web 2.0 on a daily basis. The majority are elsewhere. Mostly on search engine sites or in the protected area of home banking. Email communication has been the number one Internet application for years. And this will not change.
Web 2.0 is therefore merely the playing field of a small minority. The profile of its users corresponds to that of the Internet pioneers 20 years ago: male, above-average income and very well educated. They mainly use video communities and wiki sites, with the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia being the most popular Community 2.0 application.
But even this group of early adopters is struggling with the new services. Active use is the exception, the researchers write. According to the results, just a third of Web 2.0 users produce and design content. The rest are "entertainment seekers" and "information seekers" who are not looking for opportunities to contribute, but generally only consume content.
Effects on other media The authors of the study see no danger for traditional media. This is also because the internet is primarily a communication medium and not an information medium. E-mails and instant messages are the main reasons why people go online. The authors of the report conclude that the high credibility of traditional media and their understanding of quality remain important categories that secure their place in a changing world of offerings.
Christian Lüscher
To the study The article "Web 2.0: Usage and user types"
was published in Media Perspektiven (4/2007). The report is based on the results of the ARD/ZDF Online Study 2006, the Youth, Information and (Multi-)Media (JIM) Study 2006 and the surveys conducted by the Result media research institute and the SWR research center. The data from the last eight years show that many elements of Web 2.0 are not a new phenomenon. (cl)
