The Splinternet

Last week, we read the article, "The Web is Dead," which claims that the World Wide Web as we know it is now being replaced by "apps." RSS feeds, Skype, Facebook, Twitter, and Pandora apps and other services on a smartphone allow you to use the internet without having to open a web browser. This phenomenon has given rise to a new term, the "splinternet," which describes how various devices (i.e. iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Xbox, Android) use different formats to display web content, making traditional html standards obsolete and the internet less unified. As a result, the "splinternet" has created a unique set of challenges and opportunities:

1. Increases lock-in
2. Creates the need to develop new web analytics tools
3. Changes the way online marketing is done

One way to think about the "splinternet" is how web pages displayed on an iPhone look different than on a desktop computer because of the different screen sizes. In addition, the iPhone does not support Adobe Flash, so that also changes the content between the two devices. We've discussed before how Adobe envisions a world where developers create one set of code which can be used across multiple platform devices. Apple, on the other hand, insists on creating proprietary, closed platforms for their devices. Adding more applications and services that can only be used on a certain device leads to lock-in. Apple has been a leader in this area, but Facebook is also trying to keep people tethered to their platform.

Another problem that occurs is that much of the content on Facebook and Twitter cannot be searched by using Google because of the log on requirements. Search engines and html standards were built based on open internet. Facebook closes that door, which in turn creates the need to develop new web analytics tools so that this type of information can be found. Google will most likely be able to find a way to do this, yet the issue of privacy will also surface.

All of this is important because the "splinternet" is radically changing traditional online marketing. Over the past 15 years, companies have developed ways of finding and learning about their target customers. Yet a more diversified internet makes it much more difficult to get a clear sense of how to reach the customers across various platforms. It will be interesting to see if there will be winner take all effect, or if the internet will become even more split up over time.

For more information on the "splinternet", check out these articles:

The Splinternet War: Apple vs. Google vs. Facebook

The Web Is Turning Into The 'Splinternet'

Apple, Amazon, Google Wage Content Wars