Recent articles on some popular media sites seem to be saying that the Web is dead (I won’t post them here, google it if you want to see them), and since I enjoy the discussion that happens here at Sitepoint, I was wondering what others thoughts on the field of web design as an industry are.
Indeed. Statistics are great, you can prove anything with it 
For example, 23% of todays internet traffic is a lot more than 50% of it in the year 2000. But looking at that graph you wouldn’t say.
I guess the fact seems to be that the use of the “web” as in web pages seems to be on the decline (at least according to what the wired article shows). The focus is supposedly not shifting to developing apps, etc.
That graph is useless as it just shows percentages rather than any absolute values. For example, it shows DNS and email having pretty much disappeared, but obviously DNS has to be used more than it used to be, and email is obviously used a lot more nowadays (especially by spammers). Very misleading for people who don’t understand percentages.
That’s a good argument for the continued existence of web designers since only the best web designers can create an effective but simple design.
Since we have already had Web 3.0 for some time now (to do with how the database behind an interactive web page is defined so as to make it far more flexible for adding new data types) with perhaps a Web 2.0 front end (using Ajax to make the page into an application without needing page reloads), your suggestion is just five or so years after the event with regard to web 2.0.
The line between web sites and web applications is blurred. While those at the ends of the spectrum are obvious as to which they are those in the middle can be both at the same time with no clear cut boundary.
The “static page, home of false economies, almost useless except for angry freaks to vent misguided persecution theories days” of the web are dead. Frankly seeing the greatest communications network in history being used mostly for dirty pictures and such was just plain depressing.
Nice to see it’s potential being explored (I don’t pray for it’s death every day now).
I mean trading dirty pictures with someone named SithLord88 while living in your parents’ basement had its place, but those days are passed.
Off Topic:
@chimp, I agree, that graph was way too Web 7.WTF for me as well. All I really saw was colours 
The graph is so wonky and misleading. Making the statment that the web is dead from that graph is equivalent to saying e-mail is dead, and boy we really don’t use that DNS thingy-ma-bob anymore. I liked the post on Boing Boing with several easier to understand graphs.
I agree with the sentiment that our use of the internet is expanding beyond only browsing webpages and checking email, but to say the web is dead is pretty silly. Your topic title is about web design dying which is a different subject, and I don’t know the statistics on it. I’d venture to say that web design is simply changing (e.g. wordpress templates vs old school hand coded sites).
Yes, this is the chart that Wired has, showing the trend of “web” usage going down at a pretty drastic rate in comparison to other content. They don’t really show how much internet usage is related to people accessing internet content through apps on their mobile phones, etc.
Dead? It’s only just begun
People have been forecasting the “end” ever since the internet became mainstream and we’re still here. Demand for web related work is booming (from where I am) and the new generation of web enabled devices I think will only increase demand even more.
The web is constantly evolving and in 5/10 years we probably won’t even recognise it.
All the comments I have seen talking about the web being dead are referring to static web pages viewed in a web browser on a computer and just about all end with the words “long live the internet” because what they all talk about as a replacement for the static web are more interactive applications using other internet technologies that make web pages seem like a primitive use of the internet in comparison.
well those who say that the Web is dead certainty don’t imply that the internet is dead. The question is primarily the “web” which is how we look at web pages such as this. For instance, Wired magazine seems to be running a whole set of articles taking both sides of the issue.
yes, the statistics may be misleading, but it reveals interesting insights about trends in the future, many kinds of information will be consumed beyond what we know for the moment, with devices unimaginable before, android ported to TV or even fridge, internet will be even more pervasive than before
I wouldn’t say it’s ever going to die that’s a little drastic, but markets will always change and web design isn’t immune to it.
I hate flash sites because of various reasons. I prefer my simple sites like youtube and google. This is important because I only have 10 gigabytes of bandwidth a month and I’d rather have video or search than a cool looking website.
I don’t think design can die, but I don’t see it as a major factor to if a site fails or succeeds. Some sites just work with the “simple is better”.
@BLZ nice one! yeah those days certainly should be over by now.
@chimpzilla, I certainly agree with you and that is the main point of my question, what is the role that web designers and programmers will have in the brave new world of the new internet, which perhaps could be called web 2.0. Is it more to build web applications or is there still going to be a great demand for “websites”
That’s what I meant about it evolving
That chart does’t say how the media is consumed. I’d suggest that most internet “video” usage is done on web pages, via a browser.
And of course a lot of mobiles (and gaming machines for that matter) still use web browsing tehnology to serve content, much of which is probably HTML based.
It’s be nice to see these numbers broken down some more…
IMHO, and I’m no web developer, is that you better be able to design sites that look nice and function in various browser types (e.g. smart phones, PCs, netbooks, etc…)
The web isn’t dead, people are just changing how they access it.