What do you think is the most important technology revolution in the history of human kind? If your answer is the internet — you’re absolutely correct.
It’s a world changing technology that has effectively changed the way we live — a place where we can read, share, and collaborate. However, the web that we are experiencing today is much different than what it was years ago.
In this article, we’re going to talk about how the web has evolved and what lies ahead in the future.
The Evolution of the Web
The web has evolved a lot over the years, and the applications of it today are almost unrecognizable from before. But to have an understand of Web 3.0, we have to review its previous iterations: Web 1.0 and Web 2.0.
Web 1.0
Web 1.0 was the first generation of the world wide web, also referred to as the read-only web. It consisted of sites serving only static content instead of dynamic data. Content were served from a static file system rather than a database, and there really wasn’t much user interaction when accessing sites. It only allowed users to search for information and read it.
Web 2.0
Consequently, Web 2.0 is the second generation of the world wide web, probably one that you’re most familiar with. Its composed of a variety of web sites and applications that allow anyone to create and share online information or material they have created. Most common examples include social media sites, blogs, podcasts, and social hosting services.
Unlike the first generation of the web where only developers can create content, Web 2.0 made sharing simple and accessible to everyone and anybody can share content.
This helped create new industries, jobs, marketing, and connected the world in many ways.
But there are some areas where we can do better…
Web 3.0
The core characteristic of Web 3.0 is decentralization. This is the fundamental difference and solves key issues from the second generation of the web including security, data breaches, centralized control, and government intervention.
Web 3.0 aims to solve many of these shortcomings by rearchitecting our interactions with applications from the ground up.
In a typical Web 2.0 architecture, developers build and deploy applications that run on a single server and data is stored in a single database.
Web 3.0 changes that because applications run on blockchains and decentralized networks. Thus, data is verifiable, trustless, permissionless, and self-governing.
Commonly associated with Web 3.0 are cryptocurrencies since it plays a huge role in all of these protocols. It provides incentives or tokens to contributors and participants in Web 3.0 projects.
My Journey into Web 3.0 and the Future (so far)
The decentralized world went from something niche to being everywhere. From NFT profile pictures, Crypto Games, and shiny new blockchains, it’s been all over the world and has been both celebrated as a revolution for freedom and criticised as a farce by centralized entities.
My early experience with Web 3.0 is still from holding cryptocurrencies, collecting NFTs, and joining DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations).
I still have way much to learn about Web 3.0 but I’m excited in contributing and building decentralized applications.
Web 3.0 is shaping up to be not just an evolution of the internet but a disruption to overhaul many aspects of society.
