Web 2.0: A research point of view

I have posted about Web 2.0 a few times talking about some consequences of this topic in the Health field. I usually take the Web 2.0 definition from O’Reilly, but this time I would like to tackle the topic following the empirical research from PEW INTERNET & AMERICAN LIFE PROJECT.

In Riding the Waves of “Web 2.0”, Madden & Fox have written:

“Web 2.0” has become a catch-all buzzword that people use to describe a wide range of online activities and applications, some of which the Pew Internet & American Life Project has been tracking for years. As researchers, we instinctively reach for our spreadsheets to see if there is evidence to inform the hype about any online trend.

And them they stress:

Web 2.0 does not have anything to do with Internet2
Web 2.0 is not a new and improved internet network operating on a separate backbone:
It is OK if you’ve heard the term and nodded in recognition, without having the faintest idea of what it really means.

After that they check some of the items of their surveys to affirm “there has been an explosion of businesses and applications that behave differently from the static Web of yore” and to place emphasis in the role of the young people using those new applications.

What can we learn from these? First, we may pay attention to how and who are using the Web to see the possible applications of Web 2.0 in health. Second, as far as Web 2.0 is a social technology, we may pay attention to the possible transformation of the technology in the socio-technical context of their use. Third, further research is needed.