The Social Web Bubble

These days, there is talk of a new Internet bubble and whether we are reliving something similar to what happened a few years ago. The hype surrounding social media is surely driven by the way the Internet is being presented as the solution to every problem, especially for the hotel sector at certain conferences. However, I believe that this hype may be more motivated by business interests that, understandably, seek to remain hidden. Personally, I believe—and this is how I like to explain it at my conferences—that the social web does not exist; rather, there is a current state of the Internet. Ignoring the power of users on today’s Internet means failing to understand the Internet as it is today and, consequently, failing to understand society: living with one’s back to the world and to the generation that, in just a few days, will control the economy. The problem lies in listening to the wrong people—perhaps evangelists and influencers who are not entirely honest with their audiences because they fail to mention the interests that lead them to evangelise. Some time ago, I decided to stop listening to empty speeches that gave me absolutely nothing. I prefer to go to the source and to those who truly know, such as the creator of the social web concept in 2005, Tim O’Reilly. At the Web 2.0 Expo in New York, Tim O’Reilly himself referred to the 2.0 Bubble, describing it as a bubble of reality rather than investment. This is due to the lack of sustainable business models, the shortage of ideas and, above all, the uselessness of the applications developed under the so-called Web 2.0. Tim O’Reilly advocates developments that help make the world a better place and solve problems—particularly the world’s problems: poverty, child slavery, noting that there are currently more slaves in the world than at any other time in human history, global warming, curing diseases, and so on. Personally, I also believe there is a People Bubble. Individuals lacking experience and recognition in the sector prior to the social phenomenon. People who have found in the blogosphere and Web 2.0 a discourse to repeat tirelessly, something to cling to and use to justify their professional work, despite adding no value whatsoever. To find solutions, I believe we must first understand the problems, and none of these false evangelists has the background or professional track record to understand them, let alone the level of experience required to provide solutions.