Using Web 2.0

As a so-called “Digital Native,” I’ve grown up surrounded by technology, and technology has grown with my generation. I wonder, at what point did we graduate to Web 2.0 from Web 1.0? I have grown up with both versions, but it seems difficult to remember a time when the Web wasn’t interactive with virtual communities and user-generated content. YouTube was created less than six years ago, but the site has become so popular for entertainment (and even educational purposes) that it is difficult to remember the days before the site was launched into the internet Hall of Fame.

 So, how do I use Web 2.0? Like many others, I have various social networking accounts – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc. I have the ability to check and/or update each one of these sites from my Blackberry or iTouch. Of my various social networking accounts, I only regularly use Facebook. The other accounts have been started, but not expanded upon. With all this talk about limiting one’s digital footprint and monitoring what is said on the internet, I think I’ve become somewhat hesitant to explore these accounts more in-depth.

It is easy to assume, since I am a “Digital Native,” that I have some vast technological knowledge. As I prepare to graduate this spring and begin applying for jobs, I seem to be finding out just how unprepared I am for the jobs created just for “Digital Natives” and Gen Y. I wonder what constitutes proficiency in a computer program, application, or other form of technology. At what point does one become knowledgeable enough in a program to be able to list it on his or her resume?

Of course there are other aspects to Web 2.0 other than the popular social media sites. However, I have had no desire to create a blog and add to the unending digital diarrhea that has flooded the internet and my Google search results (the new search engine Bing! has a point in the phrase “What has search-overload done to us?”). This should be interesting.