There has been a YouTube video floating around the Blogosphere called “Web 2.0… The Machine is Us/ing Us”. First off, before you read any of my commentary, it is probably important that you watch it to understand:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE[/video]

This video has found a way to simply illustrate the (r)evolution of thought and connection that is currently taking place. While I don’t think these things are Web 2.0 specific and the title is a bit misleading, sometimes I think we lose sight of just how important the events that are currently going on around us are. I think the average user sees the internet as a research tool and means for entertainment. There are some basic services like online banking and email that speed up the process of their day, but that is probably all they can verbalize if you asked them.

The truth is everything has changed.

The entire world is changed in the last 5 years (or whenever you want to consider the time point being where the internet was embraced by John and Jane Doe). It isn’t a specific means of doing something or even a protocol or language. The web, email, IRC, bittorrent, gaming… whatever… it is irrelevant…. it all leads to two simple concepts that make all the difference. 1 – Everyone has a public voice and 2 – we all are connected. From this point on in our sentient evolution we are on turbo charge because now the “right” people can “click” and build. Repetative work and unqualied/sub-standard people and ideas will be quickly weeded out. Lies and misconceptions are seperated from fact in an instant. You now can have the best minds in the buisness easily “meetup” for a quick chat and inspire new inventions, methods and discoveries. Linked data (like hypertext) will cut research time down 100 fold. I could list of 100 examples, but the honest truth is if you get it you get it, and if you don’t you don’t.

So, what does this all mean? It means you better get really good at what you do because unless you are a carpenter, being the local guy just doesn’t cut it.