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Autori principali: Gutierrez, Claudio, Hernández, Daniel
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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Accesso online:https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.12756
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author Gutierrez, Claudio
Hernández, Daniel
author_facet Gutierrez, Claudio
Hernández, Daniel
contents This text advances the hypothesis that the meaning of the Web as an object of study has diluted as a clear research domain. One example of this phenomenon is the identity crisis of the Web Conference and the International Semantic Web Conference. At its root is the Web's evolution from a focused technological object into a universal digital environment, a transition whose very success has fragmented its academic community and obscured its core identity. We chart this trajectory from a well-defined object of study to a fragmented backdrop, identifying key pressures such as the "academic tragedy of the commons" and the disruptive force of AI. We conclude that a fundamental community discussion is needed to define what it means to study the Web now that it has become the universal infrastructure for global digital activity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_12756
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle On the Meaning of the Web as an Object of Study
Gutierrez, Claudio
Hernández, Daniel
Computers and Society
Social and Information Networks
H.3.5; K.4; H.5.3
This text advances the hypothesis that the meaning of the Web as an object of study has diluted as a clear research domain. One example of this phenomenon is the identity crisis of the Web Conference and the International Semantic Web Conference. At its root is the Web's evolution from a focused technological object into a universal digital environment, a transition whose very success has fragmented its academic community and obscured its core identity. We chart this trajectory from a well-defined object of study to a fragmented backdrop, identifying key pressures such as the "academic tragedy of the commons" and the disruptive force of AI. We conclude that a fundamental community discussion is needed to define what it means to study the Web now that it has become the universal infrastructure for global digital activity.
title On the Meaning of the Web as an Object of Study
topic Computers and Society
Social and Information Networks
H.3.5; K.4; H.5.3
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.12756