Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

What do you think the title of the video means?
I think that the title of this video is trying to make two points. By emphasizing the "us," I think it is saying that we are the people driving the fast technological changes that today's society is experiencing. The Internet is expanding because we have allowed it to change, and we have put forth the resources to make technology what it is today. The second point I think it is trying to make is that the Internet is using us. In order for the Internet to function, it needs people (us) to put our information into it. For example, a website like facebook is able to function solely because there are people using it and putting their information on the site.

How does Web 2.0 affect someone who is ready to enter the workforce? How does it affect people who are already in the workforce?
The changes in technology and the web affect everyone in the workforce, including those who are just entering the workforce and those who are already in it. Web 2.0 is constantly changing, and it's important for people in the workforce to be able to adapt to these changes. Much of today's business takes place over the Internet, and it's essential for people to know how to use it. Every business is run by technology, and employees need to have the technological knowledge to either get a job or to keep their current jobs. Technology has changed so much just over the past few years and trying to think how technology will advance in the next few years just blows my mind. I think that younger people and recent college graduates have the advantage that they can easily adapt to new technology because they are used to it. I think that it is a much larger challenge for middle-aged and older workers to adapt to the technology because they have less experience with it. I've grown up having to know how to do things on the computer and over the Internet, while my mom on the other hand, was proud of herself for just learning how to send an attachment in an email. She didn't grow up doing everything on the Internet, so she is more hesitant to adapt to these changes. I think the biggest part of changing technology is that both the people entering the workforce and people already in the workforce have to constantly stay up-to-date with the changes. Web 2.0 also affects employees in other ways. The Internet allows personal information to be easily tracked. People have to be careful about the information they put on the Internet.

What do you think it means when it says that we will have to rethink everything?
The changes in technology have definitely changed the way our lives are run. Many things can be accomplished much easier now. Machines do a lot of the work that humans had to do manually. When it says we have to rethink everything, I think it refers to the changes in how jobs are performed. If human jobs are increasingly being replaced by machines, then what is left for people to do? By rethinking things, we now have to teach people how to make a machine do a job rather than teach the person how to actually do the job. Also, I think a lot more time will be spent on innovation because technology is replacing us. Web 2.0 is also causing us to rethink ethical standards. Stealing and cheating is made much easier through the use of Web 2.0. For example, it is very easy for people to download music illegally. Most people don't view this act as the same as walking into a store and stealing a CD, but essentially they are the same thing. Because the web is so large, it is nearly impossible to monitor every act, and it creates a problem of keeping people honest. People may continue to download music illegally because they know they can get away with it. Also, going back to the idea I mentioned in the last section, the Internet contains people's personal information. While it is convenient that I can do my banking online, it is also scary to think about. I think Web 2.0 offers a large problem of privacy. Again, because the web is so large, it is impossible to monitor everything on it. As Web 2.0 continues to grow, I think people need to be careful about what kind of information they are willing to put on the Internet.