After reading “The Web is dead. Long live the Internet” By Chris Anderson and Michael Wolff, it was not only clear to me that I knew so little about the difference between the Web and the Internet, but that I in fact may be a dying breed.
Rather than the point/counter point argument of web vs. app, this article viewed it more as inevitability—a natural progression, in which due to the consumer and/or business is moving toward caged over free-range.
On the side of the consumer, the article focuses on the aging of the internet, and how our view of it as a society has changed. While we still view the internet as the catalyst with which we send and receive information, the how has changed. Less and less users are using computers to access the internet via the web, and more are using more portable devices. Along with this, less users are actually searching the web—instead, opting to download dedicated “apps” that are designed to serve a single purpose. The interesting part in all of this is the fact that consumers are choosing these “apps”, which often have associated costs to access their full features, as opposed to the often free options available by searching the web. This is in part where the “blame the consumer” portion of the article points out that users much rather pay for the convenience of getting what they want, without the hassle of having to locate it. It also points out that these “apps” have proven to be more reliable than the “flaky” web.
On the side of business, the article takes a look out how the internet has affected business as a whole. While the initial thought was that the internet would be the future of marketing, businesses were realizing that the strategy was not panning out. Counting on users locating a site on purpose and actually having an add that catered to what they actually needed, was rather idealistic; as thanks to search engines (i.e. Google, Yahoo, etc.), users often times would click on a site only to realize it is not what they want. Businesses were choosing sites based on their traffic; however, these sites’ traffic numbers were greatly skewed by the fact that there was no way to confirm that anyone stayed on a site to pay attention to the ad.
Enter Apple’s devices, such as the iPhone, and iTunes. Apple was able to create a device that could hold dedicated apps, and provided users with a way to access these apps. By directing traffic through a proprietary device and marketplace, money could be made on not only advertising, but the strategy of capturing the public. Users had to have an iPhone, iTouch, or iPad to get download from iTunes. Apple also controlled what could be made available to users, therefore ensuring quality and maintaining an air of control over options. With this, other businesses were able to follow suit and offer services that may be initially free, but limited; therefore enticing users to purchase the extra features. By negating the “freedom” of the web, businesses were to use the internet to make money.
Earlier, I wrote that I felt very much like a dying breed, and here is why. I don’t care much for apps. While I admit that they have their very clear advantages, due to the fact that they tend to be more reliable, and—well, you get what you pay for. The problem is that this article confirms to me a theory that I have had for a long time. People are forgetting the tangible. I am a freeware user. Why? Well, I don’t like to pay for intangible things, if I can find them somewhere else for free. I listen to Pandora on the internet because I don’t wish I don’t wish to pay for music I don’t own. If I want to listen to music, I have an iPod, or a CD. It is true that these options lack the convenience of everything being at my fingertips, but at the same time, I own something. I equate apps to leasing a car. You pay for something that isn’t yours. Especially in an economic time in which many people need to liquidate assets to maintain a basic state of being, I would rather have something liquid. I enjoy the “web” because it gives me access to an internet where I can still “find” what I want. I still would rather go to the mountain, than have the mountain come to me; and when it comes to the intangible the best things in life are free.
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