What is your Web 5.0 strategy?

How the web is likely to evolve and key capabilities businesses must harness to realize the future value of the web are laid out.

Abstract

Purpose The worldwide web continues to evolve as a key capability for commercial and human interactions. This paper lays out how the web is likely to evolve and key capabilities businesses must harness to realize the future value of the web. Design/methodology/approach The article defines five stages of evolution of the web. Web 1.0 was primarily a publishing and transactional environment. Web 2.0 as a space where users co‐create value. Web 3.0 as a semantic space where machine intelligence combines with human intelligence to create new insights. Web 4.0 as a mobile space where users and real and virtual objects are integrated together to create value. Web 5.0 a sensory emotive space where we are able to move the web from an emotionally flat environment to a space of rich interactions. The article outlines how companies must adapt to each stage. Findings The article presents clear reasons for why the web might evolve across these five stages and what businesses must focus on to harness the web. Originality/value Much of the discussion today centers around Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. This article pushes forth to a new space provocatively and with reason to suggest future outlines of the evolution of the internet.