O'Reilly: Web 2.0

 Tim O'Reilly  

(b. 1954 -)

Tim O'Reilly is an Irish-American author, publisher, and business owner. 

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 explains how the internet is driven by users through digitisation and technological accessibility, disrupting industries and converging (Jenkins) the lines between producer and consumer (prosumer).

Web 2.0 moves from a top-down model like the hypodermic needle and creates a two-way flow. User Generated Content (UGC) is an example of this, as consumers produce content that they feel is not gratifying (UGT) their needs. 

Digitisation:

"The process of changing from analog to digital form, also known as digital enablement." (Gartner Glossary). For example, the process of changing from VHS to DVD is a form of digitisation.

Disruption:

"The act or process of disrupting something. A break or interruption in the normal course or continuation of some activity, process, etc." (Marriam-Webster dictionary). This refers to the disruption caused by streaming platforms like Netflix or Spotify, and platforms such as Youtube where you can self-distribute, means that content is released directly to consumers. 

Convergence:

Convergence (Jenkins) refers to the line between producer and consumer blurring (prosumers) through digitisation. Instead of a top down model like the hypodermic needle theory, it becomes a two way flow.

How is Web 2.0 seen in the industry?:

- The 2009 Warp film Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee, was shot in 5 days with a $48k production budget. This is an example of digitisation and the accessibility of technology, as a tentpole Working Title film like 2019's Cats would take a longer time and require a much larger budget. 

 - The film Not Okay (2022) was released directly onto Hulu (a disruptor), and was extremely successful within it's target demographic. This means that indie or smaller budget films still have a greater chance at being successful without having to rely on a traditional distributor.

- Convergence is seen in the book series "After" by Anna Todd. She originally published the series as fanfiction of the singer Harry Styles, and after gaining traction on the Wattpad website, it was made into a  successful film franchise. 

How is Web 2.0 seen in my opening?:

- Digitisation has made production cheaper meaning a producer with a micro-budget like me is able to make a high resolution (1080 HD) film opening. 

- A consumer like me was able to produce a film opening that I self-distributed on Youtube, this is due to convergence (Jenkins).

- The disruption of streaming platforms means that an indie producer like me is able to self- distribute a film onto Youtube.