ISTANBUL

Özcan Tikit, Cafebabel Istanbul

World Wide Web, Internet, Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 are the crucial steps taken toward shaping the digital age. Develepoments about internet, transforming our lives and minds so fast, sometimes we feel paralysed for following new terms. Although I follow developments about internet so ambitously sometimes I feel like failing at some points. I used to see web.2 0 as a technical term, however last week while discussing importance of web 2.0 with my friend Yasemin, I realized something interesting and described web 2.0 as a freedoom square of virtual world rather than a technological term. As I guessed she did not agree with me. Meanwhile I should tell you Yasemin hates social network websites, because whenever she hears web 2.0, she remembers websites like bebo and netlog which she hate with some fair reasons. I should admit I was a bit frightened after seeing her red hot reaction against my innoncent idea and I was at the edge of the apologize if she had shouted on me:)… Fortunately she said me she would not not care my idea but could listen me to understand how mad I was…! Anyway critisizing websites like bebo is not exactly what I am trying to share and it was an important opportunity to persuade her.

After catching the ball shooted by Yasemin, I started to play and explain my claim. In fact it is not so difficult to understand this idea and it is not a crazy idea as it sounds. You can see people can interact whenever we want we can exchange our ideas on web 2.0 sites just like I am doing at the moment .

Democracy fighters living in undemocratical countries like Iran, Syria and Myanmar are able to inform communities about abuses, tortures against people by logging in their blogs and web 2.0 sites. Just a photograph or a document published on web 2.0 sites can influence millions of peoples and may result in goverments” official condemnations, celebrations, or protest demostrations in the streets. Torture against Buddhists monks in Myanmar and reactions, denouncments coming foreign countries can be shown as an evidence about importance of web. 2 0 sites for freedom and democracy.

I know lots of Iraninan bloggers informing us about unfair executions, they use fake names on web.2 0 sites, and this is the reason behind ban on web.2 sites in these undemocratical countries. Internet provides us a world beyond the borders, because of those web 2. 0 sites we are able meet new friends from thousands kilometers far away. It depends on internet users, relations starting on web.2 0 sites may end with marriage or transform a political campaign. So far I heard hundreds social and political campaigns starting on internet and tranforming to a street campaign, beside this I am sure there are lots of people around you who met the prince or princess in their dreams because of web 2.0 sites. It seems like we are the witnesses of web.2.0 history even we are not aware of it completely.

After listening my short explanation, Yasemin agreed with me. So what is your opinion about web 2.0...Do you are agree with me, that the web.2 0 will be the new freedom square of the digital age and with it's new web.2 0 style Cafebabel.com will be the freedom square of the Eurogeneration? If so, I think cafebabel.com should accept this sentence as a slogan describing babel international community.