Posted on June 20, 2008
Filed Under Web 2.0 Kool Aid |

Through Profy, I came across an interesting post that adds a dash of perspective to the blogosphere and the world of “first adopters” at large.

WinExtra is a blog written by Steve Hodson, a self-described “cranky old fart wandering the internet causing mayhem as he goes.”

In his post “There’s Web 2.0 and then there’s Reality,” that there is a divide between those who can afford to invest in all the latest technology and the rest of the universe.

He notes:

One thing is more than apparent when you look in on Web 2.0 and the constant chatter about all the cool hardware, software and ideas. The majority involved in this space have no idea of what being on the other side of the technological divide is like or how it is limiting the adoption of the things they believe in. They talk about dropping a couple of grand on a new laptop in the same way they I would order breakfast or they line up to fork over a couple of hundred for a new cell phone without even blinking an eye. For them the connection is forever flowing whether through never ending broadband connectivity or wireless goodness. On the other side of the fence though real life has a habit of slapping you back to reality and your position in it.

Like so many Americans struggling to get by and who increasingly “have to figure out which bills don’t get paid this month,” Hodson may find himself without Internet access.

Facing “an empty PayPal and bank account” and a disconnection notice from his ISP, Hodson reminds us that the Internet itself is a luxury for most.

When times get tough, keeping the lights on, the gas running and the food on the table comes before paying for broadband Internet access.

While Michael Arrington complains that “political agendas have begun to encroach on the technological freedoms we take for granted” and laments the fact that the United States “is falling behind in broadband penetration and data speeds,” the truth is that in Reality 1.0, people have more important things to worry about.

Millions of American homeowners are at risk of foreclosure - over a million have already gone into foreclosure and nearly three million are at least one payment behind. And thanks to creative mortgage products like the , the worst may be yet to come.

Clearly, when you are facing the loss of your home (or ), the loss of Internet access is probably little more than an afterthought.

Inconvenient truths like this, of course, will not stop the blogosphere’s breed of technocrats from continuing to pretend that their Reality 2.0 has supplanted Reality 1.0, but the funny thing about Reality 1.0 is that it always catches up to everyone.

Eventually.

Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
 

Comments

3 Responses to “One Blogger Puts Things in Perspective”

  1. Cyndy Aleo-Carreira on June 20th, 2008 10:29 am

    I’m not sure that the Valley knows what Reality is in any iteration.

  2. CT Moore on June 20th, 2008 11:55 am

    For a while, I actually worked for a web 2.0 start-up that wanted to sell a social networking platform for to large brands. Then one day they shut up shop, screwed everyone out of three week’s salaray plus severance, and the last I heard, the brother who started moved to another city with $2.5 million in angel funding they allegedly embezzled.

    Over night, I was broke and the internet was the last f**king thing on my mind. It was the BEST THING to ever happen to me. It left such a bad taste in my mouth, I only use the internet at work now.

    I HAVE MY LIFE BACK.

    This social media thing is f**king ridiculous. The more people use it, the less social they get. They forget how to interact with people who don’t have the exact same interests as they do, and that make them boring f**king cunts.

    Let them have their f**king interwebs. I’ll take their girls.

  3. Reality Bites on June 21st, 2008 1:52 am

    CT Moore: Using the interwebz on company time? tsk tsk…

    What you’ve witnessed is 19th century capitalism played out on a 21st century stage. These “visionaries” don’t give a damn about the “products” they’re hawking. They see the Web as a perfect breeding ground for their “get rich quick” schemes, owing to the hype, low overhead and relative newness of the platform. In 1.0, it was stockholders who were left in the dark when these paper dragons collapsed. In 2.0, it will be the VCs and Angels wondering what happened to their bottom line when they see no return on the millions invested in Facebook apps and the like. But they’ll wise up soon, and when that happens, it’ll be the end of the innocence of the Internet. Until all them purdy iPhone and Andorid apps come out — oh boy just wait till you see what’s cooking in THAT pot!!!

Leave a Reply