%0 Journal Article
%T Theoretical Foundations of the Web: Cognition, Communication, and Co-Operation. Towards an Understanding of Web 1.0, 2.0, 3.0
%A Christian Fuchs
%A Wolfgang Hofkirchner
%A Matthias Schafranek
%A Celina Raffl
%A Marisol Sandoval
%A Robert Bichler
%J Future Internet
%D 2010
%I MDPI AG
%R 10.3390/fi2010041
%X Currently, there is much talk of Web 2.0 and Social Software. A common understanding of these notions is not yet in existence. The question of what makes Social Software social has thus far also remained unacknowledged. In this paper we provide a theoretical understanding of these notions by outlining a model of the Web as a techno-social system that enhances human cognition towards communication and co-operation. According to this understanding, we identify three qualities of the Web, namely Web 1.0 as a Web of cognition, Web 2.0 as a Web of human communication, and Web 3.0 as a Web of co-operation. We use the terms Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 not in a technical sense, but for describing and characterizing the social dynamics and information processes that are part of the Internet.
%K World Wide Web
%K social theory
%K cognition
%K communication
%K co-operation
%K Social Software
%K Web 1.0
%K Web 2.0
%K Web 3.0
%U http://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/2/1/41