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Web 2.0: technology for the postmodern sensibility and its implications for the church

TitleWeb 2.0: technology for the postmodern sensibility and its implications for the church
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2008
AuthorsVan den Heever, J
JournalJournal Of Theology For Southern Africa
Issue132
Start Page86
Pagination86-107
Date Published11/2008
Abstract

Web 2.0 is a new technology approach that in essence builds on the Internet's existing culture of collaboration and individual freedom. This article argues that Web 2.0 is both creator and creation of the postmodern Zeitgeist, with technology and social development existing in a mutually reinforcing spiral. To minister effectively to the postmodern world, the Church needs to understand how to use these new technologies and, more importantly, respond to the new world they simultaneously reflect and create.
The article outlines the main characteristics of postmodernism, the context of Web 2.0, before examining in some detail the nature of Web 2.0. This discussion is followed by an outline of the main technologies that enable Web 2.0. It then moves onto a consideration of what all this means for the Church. Tactical uses of some of the technologies are suggested before the article moves on to examine the main implications of the combination of Web 2.0 and postmodernism. It concludes with a summary of the opportunities and challenges this combination presents for the Church.