What Is Web3

Web3, aka Web 3.0, is the next generation of the Internet. The current Web is Web 2.0, where centralization and social media platforms dominate the Internet. Almost everyone is usually centralized on controlled social media platforms. Most of their data is stored on centralized data servers and cloud storage. The Web applications are hosted on centralized Web servers and centralized cloud servers. In this article, let's look at what Web 3.0 is all about and what major technologies will play a major role in Web3. 

Tim Barners-Lee called it the Semantic Web. The co-founder of Ethereum, Gavin Wood, who believes decentralized technologies will be the next generation of the Web, coined the term Web3 in 2014. Recently, Elon Musk asked on Twitter if anyone has seen web3. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey replied, "It's somewhere between a and z."

All jokes aside, whether you call it Web3 or the next generation of Web, it's almost here. In this article, we will see what Web3 all is about and what technologies makeup Web 3 or Web 3.0. But before that, we must understand Web 1.0 and Web 2.0.

Web 1.0

1989 - 2005

The World Wide Web (W3 or WWW), also known as the Web, is a network of connected computer systems that are connected via the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) protocol and uses URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) to access and transfer digital content via Web browsers. The content (web pages, files, images, videos, and other documents) is hosted as a software application, called a Web application, that is hosted and run on a Web Server.

The World Wide Web was created in 1989 by English scientist Tim Berners-Lee and his co-inventor Robert Cailliau. Tim wrote the first web browser in 1990 at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland, where he was working as a contractor, and was released publicly in 1991.

Web 1.0 was the first generation of the Web, and mostly was filled and linked with static web pages where information was published in HTML pages. Most of the content was typed and published on Web servers, and users used it to publish and share information with others. The content of the web pages was embedded directly into HTML pages, and the user experiences were not dynamic and responsive. During this era, the Internet was mostly accessed from desktop computers.

Key features of Web 1.0

1. Static web pages filled with text and images content
2. Websites were hosted and maintained by Web Server administrators
3. Web layouts were statically created using HTML pages
4. All Web browsers were not on the same page, and content was not displayed the same in all browsers
5. Users will have to refresh the pages of the content to see the updated content
6. Web front-end technologies were HTML, PHP, ASP, JSP
7. Web browsers
8. Web servers
9. Data was hosted on centralized servers and directly accessed by monolithic websites with direct connection with the database

Web 2.0

2005 – present

Web 2.0, also known as the dynamic web, can be thought of as a dynamic web where more businesses moved to the Internet. Data became more dynamic, and the evolution and use of backend databases began. The concept of centralized servers evolved, and eventually, cloud computing took over. This is still going on today. Right now, we’re in a cloud era, where almost every business is migrating its data and applications to public, private, and hybrid clouds.

Web 2.0 also introduced many new, modern, and powerful Web technologies, such as HTML 5, JavaScript, and CSS, that made the Web run on any device, anywhere, and any size. Front-end technologies such as Angular, React, and several hybrid and native mobile platforms are also a part of the Web 2.0 evolution.

Today’s Web is a modern and responsive one that supports any kind of Web device, including desktops, servers, tablets, mobile, IoT, and many other smart devices, such as smart cars and smart homes.

Web 2.0, also known as the Social Web, made the Internet more social and interactive. Users can use apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to not only consume information but also connect and communicate with other people worldwide.

Web 2.0 is the era of video streaming, interactive images and photos, and dynamic video content that is served based on the user’s interests and preferences. YouTube, Netflix, and many other video streaming platforms are consumed by almost 4 billion people worldwide.

Besides cloud computing, Web 2.0 also introduced the concepts of serverless, artificial intelligence, machine learning, microservices, containers, APIs, interoperability, voice-enabled systems, voice apps, and many more.

Web 2.0 is still evolving, with front-end technologies like WebAssembly, ReactNative, and several others still being developed.

Key features of Web 2.0

1. Modern and responsive Web that can be accessed from any device, anywhere, and anytime
2. Dynamic web pages with automatic content updates from various data sources
3. Modern front-end technologies, HTML 5, CSS, and JavaScript, native mobile frameworks, and hybrid Web frameworks
4. Launch and success of social media platforms
5. Growth and adoption of cloud computing platforms
6. Introduction to various cutting-edge technologies
7. Smart devices, smart cars, and smart homes
8. Internet of Things and Internet of Everything
9. Rise of artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, data science, and automation
10. Introduction of augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and similar gadgets
11. Introduction of voice-enabled systems such as Alexa, Google Home, and Siri

Web 3.0

Ethereum co-founder Gavin Wood coined the term Web3 in 2014. The key concept of Web3 is using decentralized blockchain-based systems to store users’ data on the blockchain and give them control of their data. But, if you ask me, Web 3.0 is going to be much more than just blockchain.

While Web 2.0 continues to thrive, the next era of Web, i.e., Web 3.0, is knocking on doors for its own reasons.

Web 2.0 is the golden era of the Web, but it also has introduced many challenges and difficulties. Let’s look at some of these challenges.

• Data Privacy, Trust, Transparency, Privacy, centralized control of data
• Centralized Authority
• Growth of Big Data
• Challenge with Centralized Web - During Web 2.0, most data is stored on centralized servers and public clouds. That made data more vulnerable to cyber-attacks, frauds, and other malfunctions.
• Control of personal data

Here are some of the key features of Web 3.0 described by some pundits.

1. Semantic Web
2. Ubiquity
3. AI and Machine Learning
4. Decentralized Networks on a peer-to-peer network spread out around the world
5. Spatial Web and 3D Graphics
6. Participation in Digital Economy

The semantic web is a key feature of Web 3.0, which Sir Berners-Lee described in a May 2001 Scientific American article, "The Semantic Web" (Berners-Lee et al.) This article says, "The Semantic Web is an extension of the current web in which information is given well-defined meaning, better-enabling computers and people to work in cooperation." Here is a drawing that adds more meaning to the term "semantic web."

In the Web 2.0 era, data is stored everywhere, and there are many systems being developed to make sense of the data. In the Web3 concept, data will be stored as information (meaningful data) that will make it easy to understand and collaborate with people and computers.

Ubiquity, or omnipresence, means being anywhere and everywhere. In the Web3 concept, the systems are expected to be available everywhere and anywhere. This is an extension of current software systems being developed with the help of technologies, such as decentralization, edge computing, offline availability, and other technologies.

AI and Machine Learning are other key features of Web3. It is the natural profession of current systems, where automation with the help of AI and ML is growing.

Decentralized Networks based on blockchain technology are growing tremendously. Decentralized and distributed systems do not rely on centralized authority and storage. The network runs on a peer-to-peer protocol and is managed by operator nodes that can run from anywhere worldwide.

Moving from a 2-D world to a 3-D world is the natural extension of current content and graphics. The latest Web browser and software development updates allow Spatial Web and 3D Graphics to be integrated into new systems. 3D graphics and Spatial Web is other pillars of Web3.

My Views on Web3

While some people claim that decentralized computing will rule Web3, I have a slightly different opinion on this. In my view, Web3 is a much bigger evolution of Web 2.0. It is one that will try to solve the major challenges I discussed earlier, including big data, data privacy and ownership, centralized control, and missing trust and transparency with governments.

Here are some of the technologies that will be an integral part of the future version of the Web, if that’s called Web 3.0.

• The Web will be everywhere, anywhere, on any device, and can be accessed anytime by anyone. Currently, the Web is available on connected systems only, but Web 3.0 will also be available on disconnected systems. But then, do we really call it the Web?
• Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Systems are already on the rise, and Artificial Intelligence and machine learning will become an integral part of the Web. More and more Webs will run on public and private clouds.
• Decentralization will be centralized. It doesn’t make sense to build everything on decentralized networks. It’s impossible to put all data available on decentralized computers around the globe. Today, we generate roughly 2.5 quintillion bytes of data each day. Data storage and data transfer will become a challenge in the coming time. 
• Digital assets NFTs
• Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAO)
• Metaverse
• Automation of computing will continue to rise, and there will be more modular, and no-code/low-code platforms will evolve
• Growth of open communities and ownership 
• Social media has revolutionized the way we consume content and information.
• Gamification and Rewards based economy
• Internet of Everything (IoE) and Voice-enabled Systems (VoeS) will continue to rise and adapt more landscapes and use cases.
• Empowering people with tools to own and control their personal data, finances, and other digital assets and be a part of a contribution-based economy.
• Data and Web security will become a challenge.

Ownership

Some separate Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0 into categories such as the read-only web, read and write web, and read, write, and ownership web. This means that Web 3.0 platforms will empower their contributors with ownership. As a matter of fact, one of the largest online communities, Reddit, has just launched Community Points. These will allow site members to earn points, convert them into tokens, and own a portion of the community. Imagine a digital economy where its members contribute to the economy and earn ownership of the platform. Imagine an app like Wayz where a community shares its data and gets rewarded through digital assets such as a token. 

Metaverse

The Metaverse is another major component of Web 3.0. Some experts are predicting that the Metaverse is going to be one of the fastest-growing areas of Web 3.0. The Metaverse is a combination of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and blockchain (digital currency and digital assets). According to a report published by Reports and Data, the metaverse market revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 44.1%. That makes it $872.35 Billion of revenue by 2028.

To learn more about the metaverse, here is a detailed article, What is Metaverse.

NFTs

NFTs are growing at an exponential rate. Recently, NFTs have begun to be implemented and used in games and digital worlds. There are many use cases being developed using NFTs. To learn more about NFTs, check out What are NFTs.

Web3 is a Mindset

Technologies aside, Web 3.0 is a mindset. It is a new way of thinking and building businesses. It is a way of building open, transparent, trustless, and permissionless businesses where the consumers and participants of the business can also be rewarded for their participation. Web 3.0 is a mindset of giving control to communities and the public than centralized authorities. It is a mindset of how decisions are made in a democratic way than influenced by certain parties. 

Conclusion

Web3, or Web 3.0, is the idea of the next generation of the Web. It is where most people will be connected on a decentralized network, and people will also have control of their own data. In this article, we learned about the technologies expected to grow and evolve in the coming years. Web 3.0 is going to introduce several new technologies, including intelligent systems, semantic web, decentralization, metaverse, digital assets, and more.

Web 3.0 is a mindset. It is a different way of thinking and building businesses, Time will tell which of these technologies will rule the Web, but Web 3.0 is almost here, and it's coming in a big way. One thing is for sure - with all this innovation and development, security (data, web, and everything else) is going to be a major problem. That means that there is going to be a huge need for security experts and security-related systems.

Will Web3 replace Web2? Here is my detailed article, and let me know what you think -  Article: Will Web3 Replace Web2?