One book I had to read during college was The Medium is the Massage by Marshall McLuhan. Flickr photo courtesy Free Sample.
In a way Web2.0 reminds me so much of that. Although McLuhan died in 1980, his book is still relevant. Believe it or not, he is credited with coining the term “global village”.
Web 2.0 is a medium but also a message. Web 2.0 means don’t mess with the individual and the little guy counts just as much as anyone else. One blog, one vote. One digg account, one vote. Power to the people.
Marshall McLuhan may have been born way back in 1911, but so many of his thoughts and sayings are still so very current today.
A true icon, Chris - I hadn’t heard mention of McLuhan for some time and suddenly he is everywhere. Or maybe its my reading :). At any rate, you may be on to something with web 2.0 bringing his ideas forward again. McConnell and Huba spend a good amount of time on him in Citizen Marketers.