e-goisms: What Would the Web be Without the Others?

Internet represents the epochal invention that has allowed the outbreak of the speed, the amplitude, and the distance of Information access. Web 2.0, then, has made data independent from their generators and hence available to be employed for the creation of an incredible amount of new integrated services. It is hence not surprising that the stereotype of the Internet is that of an almost omnipotent instrument, able to connect in a fraction of a second millions of people and an immense amount of data; an instrument able to create new spaces of freedom giving voice to any opinion, to make us save time and money, to assist us in our investments, choices, even medical cures and interpersonal relationships. Unfortunately, even if widely diffuse, this vision of Internet as a universally aggregating instrument is deeply distorted. The main critics moved by field experts (computer scientists, but also sociologists and philosophers) regard both the external closure towards disadvantaged social categories and the reciprocal inner closure among groups of users. In the first case we are talking about digital divide, which relates to the impossibility for people with physical, economic, cultural, or geographic limitations to have access to Internet resources. In the second case, we are referring to the cyber-balkanization phenomenon, which indicates the division of users into groups that do not interact with each other [Fairweather and Rogerson, 2005]. Clearly, it is necessary to address these issues in order to finally make Internet adherent to the shared vision of a democratizing agent. However, beyond these critical notes, the authors of this article feel that another reason of disappointment have to be considered. Indeed, by analyzing the use made of Web 2.0 and, in general, of the Internet, it is easy to notice that nearly all the vast potential of this technology is dissipated in expressions of selfishness, without any practical advantage for the rest of the society [Bauman, 2001; Castells, 1998]. Consider, for instance, the most popular applications: YouTube, MySpace, and SecondLife. The rationale behind the success of all these initiatives can always be found in egocentric motivations, such as monetary gain, self-celebration, or the escape from a disappointing truth. It is hence necessary to redesign the utilization paradigm of Web 2.0 and Internet so as to give back their resources, at least partially, to a public and shared employment. Although, the personal use of Internet tools has not to be eliminated, the current deployment of communication resources constitutes an inexcusable waste if aimed only at supporting a frivolous and egoistic use [Cialdini, 1991; Gill 1996; Roccetti et al., 2008]. Therefore, the authors of this article deem important to develop an innovative project, named The Others 2.0 Web Project (as provocatively announced in the title), that aims at extending Internet’s benefits to every component of our society through the re-use of (part of) computational and communication resources employed for “selfish” purposes. This can be achieved via the creation of a communication platform that includes mechanisms for resource meta-tagging and quick recovering, and for efficiently sharing correlated information in unstructured contexts (e.g., mobile ad-hoc networks). We are hence convinced that it is necessary to redesign the utilization paradigm of Web 2.0 and, in general, of the Internet in order to recycle unused parts of Web 2.0 into altruistic bricks that could be appropriately rerouted and composed for alternative, unselfish employment. In this article, we provide guidelines for a new interpretation of potentialities cocooned by Web 2.0 technologies: by seeking and recycling unutilized resources over the Internet, it is possible to create an integrated platform that reroutes them toward an altruistic use [Morais Da Silva, 2007]. To create a more powerful platform, both hardware and software entities are ...