Is The Web Dead??

WIRED magazine declared in a recent issue that the "the web is dead". This statement was supported by an article that states with evidence that the web is now a minor contributor in the internet world. It declared that the internet is composed of: the web, peer-to-peer, videos, and other. Slightly over half of the internet is contributed by videos, followed by equal portions to peer-to-peer and the web, and a small remainder to other (Cisco estimates).

The main notion behind the statement is that the web is on decline from previous years in which it dominated the internet. Nowadays it is much more common to see an internet user browsing apps such as Facebook on their phone. Almost all forms of useful media and information can be accessed via apps; this minimizes the use for "surfing the web" to find the same information.

Although WIRED had many valid points, the article was met with criticism from various websites. Many claim that the information provided from Cisco was manipulated to have a more dramatic impact. The web could have a much larger share depending on how videos was comprised. One website claimed that YouTube, accessed through the web, was grouped into videos, giving it a much larger share of the internet.

Depending on the user, one could bypass the web completely, with possession of a smartphone. Someone with an iPhone does not need to access the web to connect with friends, find out the weather, sport updates, and read current events, etc. In contrast it can be argued that without a smartphone, one is left to rely on the web to find the same information.