Week1 reflection - Is Web 4.0-supported information rosy?

This week’s topic was about how Generation C learns and acquires information. I would like to reflect on how they acquire information in Web 2.0 and 4.0.

Whereas traditional learners were conveyed the one-way content, Generation C is familiar with both creating and consuming multimedia content when learning, such as reading and watching course materials and writing an essay or short-form videos of what they have learned. I am Generation C, but I mostly consume content created by others because I prefer not to disclose my presence online. However, I have written blog posts for Koreans about what I have done to move to the U.S., such as how to get a social security number and how to exchange a Korean driver’s license for an American one, so that other Koreans without acquaintances who live here can be helped. I felt connected to the visitors and encouraged by the comments whenever people thanked me or asked me more questions. This feature of Web 2.0 motivates more people who initially produce information. I could also revise and expand my posts based on the questions many comments raise. By doing so, I observed that the information I initially shared improved over time. I think this is the best affordance that Web 2.0 offers, with better usability and UIUX—helping more people “produse” better information.

Furthermore, with the advent of generative AI, people who know a specific field well but lack writing skills can share information in a more accessible way, and laypeople can consume it more easily by translating expertise into a language they can understand. I also use AI-embedded web browsers to ask questions about statistics, using prompts that request an easy explanation.

Nevertheless, I am doubtful if this is just a rosy status. Despite these advantages, what I feel these days when I search for information is that there is too much hallucinated garbage. For example, when I searched for what to consider when comparing car insurance quotes in America, I could read people’s real experiences and practical tips in the past. On the other hand, these days, we can find an increasing number of AI-generated posts without any fact-checking, just to increase blog visitor numbers. Even though the title seems very relevant, the content is very unhelpful and superficial. We should accept that the quality of information does not keep pace with the development of Web 4.0 and AI. There is a critical problem with this scene: Some learners who lack media literacy accept the content, thinking it is self-directed “learning,” but it actually creates a “misconception.” This is why we really need media literacy, especially in judging whether information is reliable and what we need, whether it is AI- or human-generated. If not, Generation C will repeat the loop of “produsing” low-quality information and meaningless, energy-wasting interactions, leaving the potential that Web 3.0 provides untapped.