Is web 2.0 dead? Did it evolve to something else already, before we could find a buzz word for it? Whatever it is, I can’t say I like it. Are we prepared to loose all that was pure and that we loved and watch as corporations infiltrate and manipulate everything the long tail worked so hard to accomplish?

It seems to me that social networks are selling out and are opening their seams to company investment, making the participatory web more and more like the bad old days: monetization-oriented environments.

Facebook can’t resist product and brand pages, nor targeted ads. Flickr now accepts video, in an effort to seduce YouTubers into their platform. MySpace and YouTube wink at corporations, granting them access and tools.

Ok, making money is great, but in this case monetization leads to tyranny - which eventually will lead to a revolution caused by mass discontentment.

If things keep evolving this way at this pace, the chicken with the golden eggs will surely be slaughtered, and great achievements might be lost. Things should stay user focused, not company focused.

Collaboration, participation, peer production… are these terms exclusively tailored for you and me? Should they be?

I mean, I own 2 computers which I bought with my own savings, have 2 different ISP’s (both broadband), I pay the electricity bill every month - why should internet users as individuals carry the weight of leading this revolution in the way we do things and cooperate with each other?

Shouldn’t companies set the example by giving something back to this Society2.0, instead of focusing on finding ways to exploit it?
Don’t get me wrong. This is not a manifest, nor an accusation. It is an invitation for companies to join us common users in pushing progress in so many different areas like fighting AIDS, climate prediction and trying to find extraterrestrial life forms.

Both private and public companies own a very significant share of the overall computers in existence. Many of them have access to the Internet. So it is just a matter of will.
There could even be a form of promotion for companies who join distributed computer projects. They could be allowed to use badges on their websites and advertising campaigns. It could be kind of like a regular sponsorship. Only less expensive.

That’s right, corporations. We’re not asking for your money - we just need your bandwidth and your processors during idle time. No need to increase your carbon footprint - no need to leave every computer on and online all night long. Just lunch hours would be great… this could save us all decades of research for finding an effective cure for cancer. While your employees relax during their break.

There are hundreds of distributed computer projects out there, choose the ones you like best. Volunteer and your company will be doing the right thing.

The image above was made possible through a BURP (Big and Ugly Rendering Project), a publicly distributed system for rendering 3D animations.