In his article titled "Google Declares the End of the World Wide Web," Andrew Orlowski of UnHerd discusses a trend of diminishing significance and use of the web browser, and thus the world wide web as we know it.
He basis this argument on Google demoting traditional web search to a submenu in its company page, and prioritizing AI-generated content and app integrations - especially in an overhaul of search results.
But dive deeper, and a new character of the evolving web and it's digital consumer comes to the fore.
When was it last you surfed the web?
There's no denying that a large number of users are now more accustomed to using specific apps, rather than "surfing the Internet" as was once the norm.
This change must also been seen from the perspective of a generational shift that's been accelerated by the recent explosion of generative AI.
Orlowski looks at the World Wide Web as a legacy format now, akin to DVDs, particularly for younger generations who prefer mobile and social media.
This generation gets it updates, news and even search results increasingly from some social media apps that they spend most time on. Traditional Google search is not the go-to method for them. There's no "surfing the web", as a generation before knew it.
The opposite of surfing the web is using the same apps - of finding satisfaction in what one needed within the confines of that app and overtime getting accustomed to its workings, offerings and limitations, of making that a habit vs surfing the open web.
This shift in digital consumer behaviour is not overnight though, and it's also been heralded by social media giants and big Internet companies that have built walled gardens around their offerings as they attracted more consumers with their "web 2.0" offerings of two-way communication, commenting, social connections and ease of direct publishing - but on their third-party platforms.
Now with some of these walled gardens offer all kinds of digital extensions and search tools that keep the consumer and their information within their boundaries.
This shift further strengthens Big Tech’s control over information, making the web more commercial, broken and less accessible. Google’s new AI barriers and also the ubiquitous spread of AI-generated content further isolate content creators from their audiences.
If one were to extrapolate theories from International Relations, this could be identified with somewhat of "digital and commercial sovereignty" that Big Tech attempts to seek to further gain legitimacy. It's a concept that's been reserved only for states in text-books, but in praxis things don't usually follow a straight line.
Trans-national companies have always had a big role in global affairs, and the affects of that are now much more in the open with the web and it's market-manoeuvred structure, wide scale and immediate impact. So as non-state actors have taken lead roles in what seemingly remained outside the purview of global politics, the impact of that role has become more clear on the flow of information and interactions.
Meanwhile, the web’s initial promise of open, democratic access is fading.
What does this imply?
- For Users: Increased difficulty discovering and accessing diverse and non-commercial content. Talk about echo?
- For Content Creators: Reduced visibility and value in the information ecosystem and an over-reliance on Big Tech to gain visibility and engagement. Break-out creators shall build their platforms.
- For businesses: They'll question if they still need a website - isn't that Instagram page enough now? That's till the Internet gets more fragmented than ever. Where shall you consolidate all information?
- For the Internet's Future: A move away from the open, decentralized web and towards a more controlled and monetized environment.
So, which way do you think is the web headed?
