Web 2.0 is far from dead
Web 2.0 is anything but dead. The term is no longer necessary as its concepts become ubiquitous.
So Web 2.0 is in terminal decline according to this TechCrunch article. The basis of this statement is anecdotal and from Google Trends which show a declining use of the term ‘Web 2.0’ in google searches. This tells us nothing, indeed I’d almost suggest that it is an indication of the health of Web 2.0. As it becomes ubiquitous people no-longer need to use the term. Do a similar trend search for ‘eCommerce’ and you will see a similar decline in that term and no-one is suggesting that business on the internet is in decline.
Web 2.0 was always a catch-all term for a number of concepts. If you look at ‘social media‘ in Google Insights you will see that term on an upward trajectory (interestingly the area that is driving the greatest worldwide search traffic for that term is Singapore – anything to do with the Power of Influence?) Web2.0 as a term may be in decline, but everything it stands for – community, rich interactivity, new business models – I don’t see these things dying.
The Techcrunch post does not talk about Web 2.0 dying, but the use of the term dying – which as you say is a good thing. It is not anecdotal – it is backed by the metrics, isnt it ? The declining usage may refer to decline in people’s curiosity or better understanding of the term or search for something more specific.
That the idea of Web 2.0 kept spreading and growing like a virus is actually an indicator of how powerful it was. So the Techcrunch post was a backhand compliment in a way.