The Web is Dead! Long Live the Internet

Michael Wolff and Chris Anderson co-wrote a very interesting and slightly controversial piece on why the web is dead, but the internet run by services and apps will continue to live on. You can read the article here

Two decades after its birth, the World Wide Web is in decline, as simpler, sleeker services — think apps — are less about the searching and more about the getting. Chris Anderson explains how this new paradigm reflects the inevitable course of capitalism. And Michael Wolff explains why the new breed of media titan is forsaking the Web for more promising (and profitable) pastures.

In summary, they present a case where:

- we are living in a world dominated by few people. The top 10 sites in the US account for 75% of page views in 2010.

- Google isn’t able to wield its magic in this world. May be AdMob is changing that a little, but the search spider hasn’t made its stronghold in the app world yet, partly because of the disconnection and defragmentation of the Internet world

- every company is a media company, partly because of the relationship, partly because of the business model (ads dominated), partly because of data content and channel strategies

- the future of this media world looks a lot like traditional media, because it was born out of the same embryo but has taken a different path. If Apple is dominating this media world, it was because Jobs and hence Apple have always aligned themselves with the traditional media (Think Pixar, Disney). And hence, iTunes, Apple TV and iPads all make sense in this new age of consumption.

I think its a fantastic case in point capturing the dawn of the world where unconsciously and unseemingly we have welcomed a new friend and consumption mechanism amongst us.

One Response

1. Nicklas says:

   November 2, 2010 at 14:01

   Great article, but I definately disagree upon the summery that Google will not be one of the dominators of the app world. They already have some of the most downloaded and used apps, and SEARCH in it self as an app by QWERTY or voice is and will be THE MOST USED app in the PC, Cellphone and other Interactive devices for many years to come.

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