Professor Paul Clough on Sir Tim Berners-Lee's comments on the 30th anniversary of the World Wide Web
Today, the 12th of March, marks 30 years since Sir Tim Berners-Lee submitted his proposal for the World Wide Web.
In an interview for the BBC, Sir Berners-Lee said that global action is required to tackle the web's 'downward plunge to a dysfunctional future', especially in the wake of events like the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. In an open letter, Sir Berners-Lee also outlined three areas of 'dysfunction' that are harming the web today, encompassing areas like hacking and clickbait.
Our own Professor of Search and Analytics, Paul Clough, had this to say about the anniversary and Berners-Lee's comments:
"There have been numerous cases throughout history where technologies are not used for the purposes they were originally intended [1]. Indeed the underlying infrastructure of the Web - the Internet - was originally a military experiment conducted in the context of the Cold War that now forms the backbone of communications within every industry and underpins the activities of individuals going about their daily lives.
Factors shaping the way in which the intended use of technologies change go far beyond merely technological, to political, ideological, social and economic [2]. The Web is a socio-technical phenomenon; a synergy between technology and people; a living and evolving organism that is created, shaped and used by human interactions.
There is no doubt that the Web has provided many opportunities and provided much good, but is it surprising that it also captures and reflects the brokenness of our world? That the Web needs to be regulated on the one-hand but allow for freedom of speech on the other will likely continue to challenge Tim Berners-Lee and users of the Web more generally in the foreseeable future. "
[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11334929/Six-products-originally-invented-for-something-else.html
[2] John Naughton (2016) The evolution of the Internet: from military experiment to General Purpose Technology, Journal of Cyber Policy, 1:1, 5-28, DOI: 10.1080/23738871.2016.1157619
In an interview for the BBC, Sir Berners-Lee said that global action is required to tackle the web's 'downward plunge to a dysfunctional future', especially in the wake of events like the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. In an open letter, Sir Berners-Lee also outlined three areas of 'dysfunction' that are harming the web today, encompassing areas like hacking and clickbait.
Our own Professor of Search and Analytics, Paul Clough, had this to say about the anniversary and Berners-Lee's comments:
"There have been numerous cases throughout history where technologies are not used for the purposes they were originally intended [1]. Indeed the underlying infrastructure of the Web - the Internet - was originally a military experiment conducted in the context of the Cold War that now forms the backbone of communications within every industry and underpins the activities of individuals going about their daily lives.
Factors shaping the way in which the intended use of technologies change go far beyond merely technological, to political, ideological, social and economic [2]. The Web is a socio-technical phenomenon; a synergy between technology and people; a living and evolving organism that is created, shaped and used by human interactions.
There is no doubt that the Web has provided many opportunities and provided much good, but is it surprising that it also captures and reflects the brokenness of our world? That the Web needs to be regulated on the one-hand but allow for freedom of speech on the other will likely continue to challenge Tim Berners-Lee and users of the Web more generally in the foreseeable future. "
[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11334929/Six-products-originally-invented-for-something-else.html
[2] John Naughton (2016) The evolution of the Internet: from military experiment to General Purpose Technology, Journal of Cyber Policy, 1:1, 5-28, DOI: 10.1080/23738871.2016.1157619
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