Future Internet (Feb 2010)

Theoretical Foundations of the Web: Cognition, Communication, and Co-Operation. Towards an Understanding of Web 1.0, 2.0, 3.0

  • Robert Bichler,
  • Marisol Sandoval,
  • Celina Raffl,
  • Matthias Schafranek,
  • Wolfgang Hofkirchner,
  • Christian Fuchs

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/fi2010041
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 2, no. 1
pp. 41 – 59

Abstract

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Currently, there is much talk of Web 2.0 and Social Software. A common understanding of these notions is not yet in existence. The question of what makes Social Software social has thus far also remained unacknowledged. In this paper we provide a theoretical understanding of these notions by outlining a model of the Web as a techno-social system that enhances human cognition towards communication and co-operation. According to this understanding, we identify three qualities of the Web, namely Web 1.0 as a Web of cognition, Web 2.0 as a Web of human communication, and Web 3.0 as a Web of co-operation. We use the terms Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 not in a technical sense, but for describing and characterizing the social dynamics and information processes that are part of the Internet.

Keywords