Individual and business-level impacts of Web 3.0

One key feature of Web 3.0 is that it will be able to address the lack of structure and organisation one sees in Web 2.0. The sheer amount of information that is available, the rate at which new information is being published and the inability of Web 2.0 to integrate existing data limit the use of information by users and organisations. Web 3.0 technologies will be greatly enhanced by increased levels of hyperconnectivity between people and devices, complimented by widespread connectivity.

 

One of the main individual-level benefits of Web 3.0 is the personalisation of users’ interactions with their devices. Information will be organised in a more contextual manner, which will make searches more powerful than the algorithms used for Web 2.0 searches. Information will be further personalised based on the individual’s behavior and location. Semantic technologies will, based on an individual’s preferences and interests, gather and package relevant information. Devices will communicate better with each other. For example, it will be possible to log onto your work personal computer using your smart phone and access the network. Internet experts envisage Web 3.0 as a personal assistant that knows practically anything about a particular person and can access all the information on the Internet to answer a question in a way that makes sense to the person.

 

The gradual pervasiveness of the Web 3.0 technologies will present organisations opportunities to enhance efficiencies and build intelligence into business strategies and processes. Businesses will have clearer understanding of customer and employee needs, and respond appropriately to these. Business decisions will be based on more and better business intelligence, both from within and outside the organisation. Companies will have better access to customer data and this will be used to create user specific marketing approaches and products. Organisations will have to go beyond merely creating content by defining a context that links the context to their target market.

 

Web 3.0 will present unparalleled opportunities for businesses to connect and communicate with customers, and also analyse data from their online activities. Businesses will either have to develop strategies to leverage this big data or hope to survive without utilising it. Some companies are already adopting elements of Web 3.0. Amazon, for example is using such technology to provide recommendations to customers based not only on their browsing and buying records, but also those of customers with similar records.

 

Trends such as big data and Web 3.0 have changed how organisations view their data. Data is fast gaining prominence as a strategic business tool. Organisations at the forefront of adopting these trends are recruiting the requisite skills and some have created positions such as the Chief Data Officer.

 

Danny Karam, a senior associate at Booz & Co expects the online media and retail industries to be extremely impacted upon by Web 3.0 and recommends the following steps are crucial in making the transition to Web 3.0:

·         Open up business systems to the internet.

·         Move to real-time analytics and processing.

·         Structure data so that it can be used more effectively.

·         Develop internal web and data talent.

·         Involve customers in all parts of business through social media.

 

A possible unintended consequence of Web 3.0 is that home pages will lose relevance. A user will no longer see the need to go to his/her favourite news website, but will rather search for the sites that present the news on a particular story in a way that interests them the most.

 

References

 

Goodwin, B., (2011), Businesses should prepare for Web 3.0, says Booz&Co, Avaliable Online: http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240105143/Businesses-should-prepare-for-Web-30-says-BoozCo [Accessed 24 September 2013]

 

Understanding Web 3.0

Web 3.0 is a vague and difficult to define IT trend. A scan of available literature comes up with numerous definitions which further add to its ambiguity. Some people argue that it is about semantic web, personalisation, intelligent searching and behavioral advertising. Others see it as the proliferation of the mobile revolution and location based sensors. One group sees it as being capable of creating a virtual Web.

 

Web 3.0, as the name suggests is the result of an evolutionary process. To understand what Web 3.0 is, one needs to recognise its predecessors, namely Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. Web 1.0 was about connecting information and making it available on the internet. It is can also be referred to as the ‘read only’ Web. An example of Web 1.0 is a hotel website that offers basic information about location, number of rooms, check-in times, etc.  

 

Web 2.0 went beyond simply providing information on the internet by allowing users to interface with the internet. It brought a social dimension to the information or ‘read only’ Web. Under Web 2.0 the hotel website enables users to make online reservations, check room availability, and provide feedback on satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Common phenomena that can be categorised under Web 2.0 technologies are Wikipedia, social networking and blogging.

 

Web 3.0 which is also known as the ‘intelligent’ or semantic Web is about providing meaning to the information on the Web, and providing this knowledge in a way that is relevant, useful and enjoyable to the user. Web 3.0 would enable a user to get real-time information about hotel room availability, pictures of the view from the hotel rooms, customer feedback about the hotel, nearby attractions based on the user’s preference history, etc. For example, while you decide to reserve a room at a hotel, a Web 3.0 technology can book you a table at a restaurant that is close by and because it knows you haven’t hired a car, organise a shuttle for you too.

The diagram below illustrates the differences between the three Web versions.

 

Figure 1: Differences between Web 1.0, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 (Source: Agarwal 2009)

This ‘intelligent Web’ is made possible by layering semantic web technologies over Web 2.0 and frameworks that link data from multiple databases and websites. Web 3.0 is sometimes called the semantic Web precisely because of its use of semantic web technologies.

 

Spivac (2006) broadens the definition of Web 3.0 and sees it as also being influenced by the maturity of certain trends such as ubiquitous connectivity, network computing, open technologies and open identity.

 

References

 

Spivac, N., (2006), Web 3.0: The Third Generation Web is Coming, Available Online: http://lifeboat.com/ex/web.3.0[Accessed 20 September 2013]

Agarwal, A., (2009) Web 3.0 Concepts Explained in Plain English, Available Online: http://www.labnol.org/internet/web-3-concepts-explained/8908/[Accessed 20 September 2013]

 

Current conversations in my organisation around information systems

My organisation is a government funded agency, and is responsible for entrepreneurship promotion and small enterprise development. As a public sector institution, we have to comply with a number of laws and regulations. Current focus areas around information systems have been shaped to a large extent by the King III Report on Corporate Governance, and discussions within the Government Information Technology Officer Council (GITOC). The growing realisation within the organisation on how technology can transform small enterprises is also fast gaining momentum. Information systems discourse tends to centre on 'accountability' and 'business value'

 

The current information systems themes within the organisation are ‘ICT governance’, ‘knowledge management’ and ‘IT/business alignment’. The ICT governance has provided a platform for the organisation’s IS function to reposition itself from a reactive, business support function to a strategic business enabler. An ICT Governance Framework, based on COBIT has been implemented. The framework highlights the ICT processes that are of strategic importance to the organisation and initiatives that should be embarked upon to improve on these processes. IT/business alignment has been highlighted in the organisation’s strategy, and a strategic plan and road map has been developed to align ICT with business. The roadmap is illustrated below.

 

Figure 1: ICT Roadmap

 

The human resources within the division have also been restructured with two distinct focus areas: one focuses on infrastructure, security and continuity; while the other focuses on business information systems.

 

My role as head of strategy and information systems places me at the forefront of creating and influencing discussions around information systems. The understanding is that the organisation needs to first reach a level of stability and compliance with relevant statutes and move to atleast the “Operational Excellence” stage of the ICT Roadmap before looking at being an early adaptor of the latest technologies.

 

The information systems function is however kept abreast of the latest developments in the information systems field. This is done through staff members interacting with vendors, attending seminars and product briefings, and reporting back on how these developments would benefit the organisation.

 

The knowledge management role in the organisation has been somewhat performed on an ad hoc basis without a clearly defined strategy, processes and systems. As a result, knowledge within the organisation is managed in a silo, uncoordinated manner.

 

Overall, the short term focus determines the current debates within the organisation and this centres largely on stability and value, through adequate governance systems and a strategy to reposition the information systems function within the organisation.

 

The notion of “fashion” as a useful model for explaining the emergence of certain technologies or ideas

Factors that influence technology adoption can be categorised as either intra-organisational or environmental (Basaglia, Caporarello, Magni and Pennarola 2009). The environmental perspective is premised on neo-institutional and management fashion theories (Finchman 2004). Organisations adopt technology for a number of reasons. Wang (2010) identifies two schools of thought on technology adoption; which are the economic-rationalistic perspective (focused on performance) and the institutional perspective (focused on legitimacy).

 

Management fashion theory posits that under conditions of uncertainty, organisations copy innovation models promoted by ‘fashion-setting organisation’s and that the rates of diffusion and ultimate levels of adoption of any given management innovation cannot be fully explained by rational/technically efficient perspectives (Abrahamson 1996). Fashion, in the information technology sense, is a transitory, collective belief that an information technology is new, efficient, and at the forefront of practice (Wang 2010).

 

The information systems (IS) field is characterised by the constant emergence of new technologies (Wang 2010). IS managers therefore have to determine whether a new technology will become the next best thing or a fad. Organisations engage with IT fashions in either a material or informational form. Material engagement is the adoption, implementation and use of the technology. Organisations that follow IT fashions tend to be more admired with leaders who receive higher salaries. The impact of IT fashions on organisational performance is mixed and depends on the association with the IT fashion (material or informational) and when the performance is measured.

 

A number of studies have been undertaken to explain the role of fashion in adoption and diffusion, and results indicate that the role depends on the type of information system, but most research points to fashion as a useful model in explaining the rise of certain technologies. A study by Scarbrough and Swan (2001) on knowledge management diffusion identified the presence of fashion related characteristics (ambiguous, simplified and differentiated) but found that the emergence and increasing use of knowledge management happened through a ripple effect and not the uniform fashion approach.

 

Basaglia et al (2009) looked at how environmental (institutional and management fashion) and organisational (efficient-choice perspective) drivers influence the adoption of voice over IP (VoIP). Fashion setters’ pressure and progressiveness were used as variables to measure the effect of the management fashion construct. Both variables presented substantial and positive impact on intention to adopt VoIP. This positions fashion setters as an important leverage for the diffusion of knowledge around ICT innovations.

The periods of interest in information system topics is known as fashion waves and can be observed in the prominence of certain topics in academic research and what is being written in practice. Academic research tends to follow what is being discussed in practice during the fashion upswing, but continue to express an interest in the fashion even when the interest has waned in practice (Baskerville and Myers 2009).

 

References

 

Abrahamson, E. (1996). Management fashion. Academy of management review, Vol 21(1), p 254-285.

 

Basaglia, S., Caporarello, L., Magni, M., & Pennarola, F. (2009). Environmental and organizational drivers influencing the adoption of VoIP. Information Systems and E-Business Management, Vol 7(1), p 103-118.

 

Baskerville, R. L., & Myers, M. D. (2009). Fashion waves in information systems research and practice. MIS Quarterly,Vol 33(4), p 647-662.

 

Fichman, R. G. (2004). Going beyond the dominant paradigm for information technology innovation research: Emerging concepts and methods. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Vol 5(8), p 314-355.

Scarbrough, H., & Swan, J. (2001). Explaining the diffusion of knowledge management: the role of fashion. British Journal of Management, Vol 12(1), p 3-12.

 

Wang, P. (2010). Chasing the hottest IT: effects of information technology fashion on organizations. MIS quarterly, Vol 34(1), p 63-85.