Reading2_Long Live The Web

The Web is critical not merely to the digital revolution but to our continued prosperity—and even our liberty. Like democracy itself, it needs defending.

–Tim Berners-Lee

 

• The author mentions beneficial and “ill effects” of the Web. Describe two examples of these effects from your own experience on the web. 
  • The Web keeps on collecting users’s information and following their tracks, even though the users don’t know about this or simply refused beeing traced. It is horrible to find surrounded by similar imformations repeating and shuting me in a cage when browsing websites like Youtube. And this track also makes me get loss before I found what I really want.
  • Another horrible experience is about ins. I created an new account without input any real personal informations, in order to be away from my acquaintance. However, a few days later, Ins recommended some accounts for me. I superisingly found some of them are my classmates in primary school but we’ve lost touch with each other for years.
  • A second thought incurs profound fear.

 

• In your own words, describe the concepts below, contrast them to one another and, if possible, share associations from your own experience on the web.
  • Universality and Isolation
    • With the Internet developing, it is easy for people to share and get almost all the imformations around the world. Even people and affairs can be easily got tough with through the Internet. The web becomes global and universal.
    • However, there seems no need to get out for interaction and communication in reality. Under this circumstance, people lose great willingness of real contracts with the real world. The living states are becoming isolated.
    • While universality specificly in the Web refers to the use of imformation: All kinds of information can be used, all kinds of people can use the Web, and all kinds of hardware can be used to carry informations. Besides, the use of the Web do not always need a third-part approval. And it can be broadly used with URL.
    • Another kind of isolation happens within the Web. Unhealthy competitions between top imformation companies gradually monopolize imformations and block cross-platform imformation sharing.
  • Open Standards and Closed Worlds
    • Open Standards means not only allowing any site to link to any other site but also open basic Web technologies, that indi-
      viduals and companies need to develop powerful services, to the public for free, with no royalties.
  • The Web and the Internet
    • “The Web is an application that runs on the Internet , which is an electronic network that transmits packets of information among millions of computers according to a few open protocols.”
    • Therefore, Internet is a broader concept than the Web and it is also the fundation of all the virtual network.
• The author talks about his visions for “the Web in the future”. More than 10 years after this text was published, identify the elements of his vision and discuss the ways in which they are (or aren’t) still present in today’s web. Feel free to also point out issues that have since arisen (e.g. the idea of “fake news”), and discuss how they might relate to the author’s vision.
  • The athor had a forward-looking point of view. The issues he emphasized are still great problem where lots of conflicts and adjustment happens.
  • He said that “free speech should be protected”. Today, free speech on the Web is a hot debatable topic. It is true that lawless people created wars online under the name of free speech, in order for attention and interest. So, some platforms request users to do real name authentication and formulate policies to standard words and deeds to a moral extend. 
  • He was right that “free speech” is still a problem right now. But one thing he hadn’t imagined is about the users. As the Web develops, a lot of users with high level of mental and moral states gather together, spread positive value orientation, and improve the online armosphere.