Week 9/10 Semantic Web

Semantic Web is the idea from Tim Bernes Lee, that the web needs to be more intelligent to serve every users needs.

‘We can use computers to search for these documents, but they still have to be read and interpreted by humans before any useful information can be extrapolated. Computers can present you with information but can’t understand what the information is well enough to display the data that is most relevant in a given circumstance. The Semantic Web, on the other hand, is about having data as well as documents on the Web so that machines can process, transform, assemble, and even act on the data in useful ways’.

The idea of semantic web is that the programs on computers have much more control over what they are searching for, they are meant to understand what you as a user want. For example, search engines will understand if you type in ‘Lincoln’, the programs will only bring up relevant information to you rather than pages about Lincoln in America, Presidents etc. Semantic web is all about the intelligence of the internet and programming it to suit each individual user.

Semantic Web for me goes against some of the key characteristics of the internet which have been discussed throughout this module. The idea of non- linear hyper linking will be reduced, because if a program is completely suited to your needs you may not be able to hyperlink to irrelevant websites just for entertainment or escapism purposes. It also questions Turkle’s idea of freedom, if irrelevant sources are taken away then the audience are being restricted to which websites they see going against the idea that you can create different personas and search the internet accordingly.