Web 3.0 is the latest digital innovation geared at breaking the monopolistic power of governments and large corporations. According to the wired definition, Web 3.0 is a decentralised digital ecosystem based on blockchain technology. Therefore, every application and platform built on web 3.0 will not be solely controlled by a centralised entity.
Difference Between Web 1.0, Web 2.0, And Web 3.0
To assess the difference between these three web generations, let’s look at each.
Web 1.0 (1989–2004)
The world wide web (www) was invented by a British scientist, Tim Berners-Lee, in 1989. He had the design while working with CERN. The primary development of the web was to share automated information between scientists in different universities and institutes across the globe.
However, web 1.0 came at a time when the internet was new to the global communities, which was between 1989 and 2004. In web 1.0, users are provided only information, as all the websites were static web pages linked by hyperlinks. Every web user at that period was an internet consumer.
At this time, the web URL is required to get information. But with several search engines today, the latest invention has changed the digital narrative surrounding the internet, mainly as web 1.0 was referred to as the “read-only internet”.
Web 2.0 (2004–Present)
The year 2001 was the time the dot-com bubble had a blast. To some people at that time, they saw the web as a figment of exaggeration, but it was the time ascendant technology fully came to the limelight of global discourse.
Many startups then began to include web 2.0 in their presentations for branding and marketing. But later, in 2004, this version was pitched to the spotlight by Tim O’Reilly and Dale Dougherty.
According to O’Reilly, web 2.0 core competencies include:
- Harnessing collective intelligence
- Software beyond the level of a single device
- Services with cost-effective scalability
- Trusting users as co-developers
- Lightweight user interfaces, business models, and development models
- Utilising the long tail through customer self-service
Web 2.0, in its exclusive features, enables users to participate in content creation, engagement, and sharing on the internet instead of just its consumption.
Did you know? The successful invention of web 2.0 technology, also called ” Web as a Platform”, enhanced the growth of companies like Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter, where users can interact with other users on the internet.
Moreover, this technology version was driven by three (3) vital innovations:
- Mobile
- Social Media
- Cloud Computing
Web 3.0 (The Future Of The Internet)
The term web 3.0 was first coined in 2006 by John Markoff. Its development was an advancement on the web 1.0, which provides static data for its users, as they can only read information while companies are ignorant of user behaviour.
Meanwhile, web 2.0 users can read, write, and create on the Internet. This gives companies a better understanding of users’ dynamic data. Also, the social media world had its revolution at this time.
Today, we are in the future of web 3.0, which translates to every algorithm trying to understand users’ data while ensuring the internet is personalised for every user. This is evident in the creation of Netflix, Spotify, Youtube, etc., which try to understand user behaviour to bring much-needed familiarity and personalisation to the webspace.
To further make the internet more open and highly decentralised, web 3.0 can use peer-to-peer technologies like blockchain, metaverse, the internet of things, and virtual reality.
As earlier stated, users rely on large companies that can access their data, but with distributed ledger technology like blockchain, users can easily track their data on the web.
How Does Web 3.0?
Blockchain underpins web 3.0 technology. This is also the same technology used for cryptocurrency and NFTs.
The idea of web 3.0 was conceived to address data storage in decentralised storage and its spread across the internet as a whole rather than kept on a few servers like web 2.0 applications. There are numerous decentralised web 3.0 applications (dApps) running on the Ethereum blockchain, including Dark Forest, Uniswap, Foundation, and PoolTogether.
The decentralised feature would help to grow the internet as it makes the internet to become more accessible from anywhere in the world.
Features Of Web 3.0
1. Open
The technology is designed with open-source software developed by an open community of developers while being accessed by anyone.
2. Permissionless
Users and providers can easily communicate without restrictions from the controlling organisation.
3. Ubiquitous
Web 3.0 makes the internet accessible to everyone from everywhere and at any time. The Internet can be accessed by any device (computers and smartphones).
4. Trustless
Users are provided with the freedom to communicate privately and publicly without the meddlesome of a third party.
Benefits Of Web 3.0
1. Transparency
All information is shared across decentralised networks and distributed ledgers. With web 3.0, you can track your data and monitor your platform’s code. Trust issues don’t exist here, like in web 2.0, where large companies are in significant control of personal data.
2. Privacy
One significant advantage of cryptography, concerning blockchain technology, is the ability to monitor and track your personal information on the internet. This is an advancement in web 2.0 technology.
Web 3.0 aims to proffer solutions to the problem of data breaches, which was prevalent in the web 2.0 world.
3. Information Authorship
Information is highly encrypted in the web 3.0 world. So, data can only be shared upon permission. Big companies in the web 2.0 world, including Facebook and Amazon, have unlimited access to our personal information like credit cards, interests, etc., and resell the data to advertisers.
You own your data in the web 3.0 world.
4. Less Middleman
The nature of decentralisation is to forge a linkage between providers and end consumers. In this case, the operation is devoid of any central authority. Web 3.0 does not guarantee to eliminate intermediaries with blockchain technology; perhaps, some regulations must be implemented to monitor fairness.
5. Uninterrupted Service
Using the highly decentralised blockchain technology, problems like interrupted services due to tok server failure or account suspension are solved—distributed nodes the data to prevent point server failure.
Conclusion
Web 3.0 is the future of technology. Its implementation can be seen in various core areas like social media platforms, messaging, virtual assistants, etc. Therefore, it is no news that we are on the path to the internet, where users can track their data and have absolute control of their data privacy through blockchain technology.
