---
title: Finally Some Critical Writing About the Web
date: 2007-10-30T13:08:18+00:00
modified: 2010-04-23T02:35:43+00:00
permalink: https://kaspars.net/blog/finally-some-critical-writing-about-the-web
post_type: post
author:
  name: Kaspars
  avatar: https://reverse.kaspars.net/gravatar/avatar/92bfcd3a8c3a21a033a6484d32c25a40b113ec6891f674336081513d5c98ef76?s=96&d=mm&r=g
post_tag:
  - Critique
  - Journalism
  - Web
category:
  - Publishing
---

# Finally Some Critical Writing About the Web

After writing the previous article ‘[What is Wrong with the Tech Journalism](https://kaspars.net/blog/understanding-web/8-what-is-wrong-with-the-tech-journalism/)’ and thinking more about the portrayal of the Web by off/online journalists, I have finally found a few great articles that try to critically assess the otherwise hyped “user–generated content” and “social networking”:

- [The User-Generated Content Myth](http://publishing2.com/2007/10/26/the-user-generated-content-myth "An article by Scott Karp") by *Scott Karp* where he perfectly explains that an average creator of a useful web content is not an average citizen.
- [The Fakebook Generation](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/opinion/06mathias.html) by *Alice Mathias* who excellently describes the reasons for the popularity of social networking sites and what they actually mean to people using them.
- [Facebook Is NOT For Business](http://publishing2.com/2007/08/03/facebook-is-not-for-business/ "An article by Scott Karp") also by *Scott Karp* where he explains why the popular view of Facebook (or any other website of kind) being useful for business and during the business is false.

##### More Views About the Web and Journalism

Continuing the debate over the importance of professional journalism and the rising popularity of individual publishing, there are number of different viewpoints presented in the following blog posts:

- [Let’s have a real debate about Web 2.0](http://strange.corante.com/archives/2007/10/29/lets_have_a_real_debate_about_web_20.php) by *Suw Charman* and *Kevin Anderson*,
- [Still going: more of the NUJ debate](http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/shanerichmond/oct07/more-of-the-nuj-debate.htm) by *Shane Richmond*,
- [Is the Web as weak as its weakest link?](http://www.everythingismiscellaneous.com/2007/10/28/is-the-web-as-weak-as-its-weakest-link/) by *David Weinberger*,
- [The NUJ and me: a considered response](http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/greenslade/2007/10/the_nuj_and_me_a_considered_re.html) by *Roy Greenslade*,
- [Hands up those who think Web 2.0 is rubbish!](http://ukjournalism.co.uk/maonline/?p=34) by *Sian Claire Owen*.

While I may disagree to some of the views expressed in the above articles, I still think that most of the authors would be better of [without using the term *Web 2.0*](/blog/understanding-web/8-what-is-wrong-with-the-tech-journalism/ "Read my article about why the term web 2.0 is bad"), to make their point clearer.