Although many people have attempted to outline the ways in which society is changing because of technology, few summarise it as succinctly as David Wiley (2008), who outlines five significant shifts in our society because of Web 2.0, namely a movement from:

1. Analog to digital forms
2. Tethered to mobile technologies
3. Isolated to connected experiences
4. Generic to personal user networks
5. Closed systems to open systems of information

All of these shifts have presented unprecedented challenges — as well as unique opportunities — for organisations wishing to remain relevant and fulfil their purposes in an increasingly online world.

First, analog to digital forms. In the most obvious example of this, paper as a physical format is quickly giving way to digital documents which are easier to search, copy, share and organise. For organisations, this may mean adapting not how they offer their services, but also potentially what they offer. For instance, many libraries have begun cultivating digital collections of e-books and audiobooks, offering these to patrons as an alternative to physical books.

Second, society is no longer tethered to desks and landlines to work, but can now enjoy the benefits of mobile technologies from anywhere. In fact, 5.19 billion people globally use mobile phones, with mobile phones accounting for 53.3% of all web traffic (We Are Social, 2020). EDUCAUSE argued in their 2020 report that although mobile learning had existed for over 10 years, the ‘future’ of this trend was to focus on connectivity and convenience (p. 21). This is of particular relevance to organisations, as they must consider how people are consuming content, and therefore make their content mobile-friendly.

Third, isolated to connected experiences. Using social media and Web 2.0 technologies, organisations are no longer isolated but instead, belong to connected and global networks. For organisations, this is an opportunity to exploit their potential connectivity and market themselves to a much wider audience, as well as using their audience (through social media, reviews etc.) to market them.

(Visualising the Networked World, n.d.)

Fourth, generic to personal networks. The world of social media and social networks has opened the possibilities for finding individuals and organisations who share the same interests and goals. For organisations, there is also the potential of communicating with individuals on a person-by-person basis through Web 2.0 technologies, thus cultivating relationships with users to create a more personal user experience.

Fifth, closed systems to open systems. Technology has quite literally opened the world in which we live in, becoming an indispensable part of our lives. If organisations fail to acknowledge this and tap into the potential that this new world offers, they risk becoming irrelevant and failing at their purpose. 

Reference List

EDUCAUSE (2019). Horizon Report: 2019 Higher Education Edition. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from https://library.educause.edu/resources/2019/4/2019-horizon-report.

Visualising the Networked World [Graphic]. (n.d.). Connected World. Retrieved from https://connectedworld.com/visualizing-the-networked-world/.

We Are Social (2020). Digital 2020 – Global Digital Overview. Retrieved March 23, 2020 from https://wearesocial.com/au/blog/2020/01/digital-2020-3-8-billion-people-use-social-media.

Wiley, D., & Hilton III, J. (2009). Openness, Dynamic Specialization, and the Disaggregated Future of Higher Education. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 10(5). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v10i5.768