Digital platforms, the modern way of understanding the web
In its beginnings, digital platforms didn’t exist. Websites were what we know today as static sites; pages full of content. Mainly text and images, without much dynamism or interaction.
In fact, its name “page” comes from the similarity that it had in its beginnings with the pages of a book. To implement them, flat HTML documents were created that displayed only what was encoded, no more, no less.
Read: Are a web page and a website the same?
Appearance of one of the first web pages https://www.vortex.com/ , which can be visited today.
However, as technology evolved, various tools appeared that made it possible to make more dynamic sites.
On the one hand, the appearance and rise of databases, programming languages, cloud services and other computational tools made it possible to create websites whose content did not depend on what was encoded but could be dynamic depending on the user, administrative decisions, etc.
On the other hand, the development of tools such as CSS, JavaScript and their associated libraries such as BootStrap or Jquery made it possible to customize and bring sites to life.
They are no longer plain text, but have colors, animations and other elements that allow us to feel them like a living organism.
The official slack page is a good example of the progress that the internet has had in a short period of time.
With the evolution of the internet, using the term “page” for some websites is limiting them.
The term “digital platform” appears to denote
that they can fulfill many more functions
apart from offering text and images.
Although we are not always aware of it, we use many digital platforms on a daily basis.
Listing them all is practically impossible, but here is a list of the most known and used types today:
Electronic commerce
E-Commerce platforms allow monetary transactions to obtain a product or service offered on the platform.
In many cases, their offer is not static but is adjusted to the preferences and needs of the user, based on their search history, purchases and the configuration of their profile.
Some of these platforms are Amazon, Ebay, Mercadolibre, etc.
E-Learning
E-Learning platforms allow access to learning material, courses and certifications for free or for a defined price.
They have the characteristic that around each course they generate a community among students to interact and resolve doubts and questions that may arise in the process.
Depending on the platform, you can have courses on a specific topic or be multidisciplinary. Some of these platforms are Platzi, Duolingo, Udacity, etc.
Social networks
Nowadays social networks are the most used platforms on the internet.
Its main characteristic is that the content is generated by its users, and they choose what content they want to consume and how to consume it.
Although each one has a different focus, they all base their content on the user community and the interactions between them.
Some of these digital platforms are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Streaming services
Streaming platforms allow access to audiovisual material such as videos, music, movies and series in an organized and legal way.
Depending on the platform, the content can be generated by the community, it can be purchased from production companies or produced by the platform itself.
Its content can be accessed for a defined value although many also have free content. The best known streaming services are Spotify, Netflix, Deezer, etc.
Read: Differences Between Websites: Basic Website vs Complex Website
As you can see, almost every website we use and visit can be classified as a digital platform.
Its boom is such that you can even find digital platforms of various types coexisting in the same place. For example, Facebook and Instagram, social networks, already allow you to sell and buy goods and services through their platform; adding the E-Commerce type to their offer.
Nowadays, it doesn’t make sense for your website to be a “page” like a static book. There are no longer any limitations to what it can be and what you can offer through your website.
If you want to explore how you can transform your business into a digital platform, do not hesitate to contact us.
We will be delighted to be your new technological ally.
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