All the hype...

I think most of us that read tech everyday are getting a little tired of all this Web 2.0 stuff. For me the saturation point was reached approximately fifteen minutes after all the podcast hosts started talking about it. It seems that I'm not alone too, as I've read several hilarious quips and articles over the past few weeks that I can't help but chuckle at. The latest is an article written for The Register called "OMG!!! MySpace goes titsup" and it takes on not just the Web 2.0 crowd, but the "teenagers and lurking paedophiles.." that inhabit MySpace.

Articles like this, short as they may be, don't just bring a smile to my face but it also gives me hope for the future. When the bubble began back in the mid 90s it became high fashion for Internet companies to take themselves too seriously. Sure there were outrageous Super bowl ads and crazy giveaways, but much of the tongue and cheek humor and satirical nature of the Net was lost. Slowly the fun was drained away, until the bubble burst and took the rest of the fun with it. What remained were companies not only charged with actually making money, but with acting more grown up. As quickly as it began, the can-do, break the rules attitude of the "new media" turned as somber as your relatives at the last visitation of dearly departed Uncle Eddie, God rest his soul.

So forgive me if I enjoy the guilty pleasure of watching someone poke a little fun at the latest gaggle of web entrepreneurs. Sure they may have invented something cool, but is it really going to change the world? Elsewhere scientists are inventing new kinds of "frankenfoods" for us to eat, colliding particles, or building gasoline alternative vehicles. All the while MySpace is allowing users to upload massive images and music files that play annoyingly in the background. I hate to say it but they aren't even on the same level.

The point of all this is that MySpace or other Web 2.0 companies aren't bad, or not worthy of recognition. It's just that I think we are all taking this a little bit too seriously. Frankly the world is a little bit too full of that these days, and if the Internet isn't going to offer a quick distraction then I guess I'll have to turn to something else. Gee I wonder if there is anything good on TV today.