Whatu0026#x27;s next for the web?

Apr 1, 2014

Sogeti Labs

Somehow we keep on talking about the web in phases, like the web is flowing into one new structured phase after another. Web 1.0 was how we dubbed the read-only phase of the web. Then we named it web 2.0 with a emphasis on social, moving from read-only to a more participative form of read and write. Redefining the way we share and interact online.

What comes next after web 2.0? The jury is still out. We have seen different attempts to coin the next phase: from the semantic web, an A.I. web and the internet of things as the web 3.0. 

But rather than looking towards naming and framing, I’d like to talk about what I want for the next web to be. What’s the real deal with the ecosystem of increasing intelligent software services, smaller and more powerful devices and connectivity embedded into everything? It creates an ecosystem in which the user could be at the centre of things. A web, an ecosystem of connected devices and services, that anticipates a users actions, activity and intentions. Basically the web should become anticipatory. I’ve talked about this in several blogposts thus far on mobile, context and anticipatory services.

How? Data is more personal, available and accessible then ever before. It is also more portable and open thanks to API’s. We can deploy this data better with mobile devices from smartphones to wearables that are always on and can grasp better situational awareness that leads to understanding a users context better. We also have the tools to make the data better over time by understanding behaviors and patters. All this can flow to a personal could that’s always in the background and adaptive to our needs and intentions.

The whole idea of the internet of things – sensor networks, wearable devices, embedded intelligence, smart home/offices and so on – fits perfectly into the idea of creating anticipatory systems around a user. The next web should be about the convergence of the current web, our devices,  data and services and we as users.

About the author

Sogeti Labs

SogetiLabs gathers distinguished technology leaders from around the Sogeti world. It is an initiative explaining not how IT works, but what IT means for business.

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