Blog Post #3: "Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/Using Us"

In chapter 1 of Library 2.0 and Beyond, Courtney points out that in our world today, “…more people share their ideas, contribute content, and have easier access to collaborative tools.” There are far more people on the web today than in years past. In Professor Wesch’s video, entitled “The Machine is Us/Using Us”, he very creatively and precisely illustrates Web 2.0. By titling the video as he did, Wesch explains that “the machine is us”, meaning we (the users) are the ones who are putting the data and information on the web. We are the ones who are organizing all of the data as well. Wesch cleverly stated, “XML + U & Me = Database-backed Web”. This means that the users (“u and me”) are putting the information on the web ourselves, and we are creating the web. We actually “are” the web because we are the information providers “for” the web. Wesch explains that it is the people (us) that teach the machine to do various tasks. With every person, every click, every link, and every command, we are teaching the machine what to do. Therefore, we “are” the machine.

By the same token, Wesch says “the machine is using us” because without the user, the web would not exist, and certainly would not be advancing as rapidly as it is. Wesch points out that the web is no longer just information or the linking of data, but instead it’s connecting people. People are constantly sharing and collaborating on the web using blogs, wikis, and other social networking sites. Without “us” (the user), the web would not be what it is today; the machine uses us to grow, to develop, and to continually progress.