Everyone is discussing web3.0; it’s sort of the current rage, and a buzz is being built around it. When attempting to explain Web3.0, the majority of individuals discuss Web2.0 and how the internet has developed since Web1.0. This only serves to further confuse their listeners, who frequently question why Web2.0 and Web3.0 are different and how this impacts how the internet is now utilized.

I’ll attempt to explain what web2, and web3, are and why you as an individual should care about them in this article.

The creation of the internet — Web 1

Between 1991 to 2004, the World Wide Web’s first generation was in use. The read-only web was another name for it. Users could search for and read the material, and it permitted the dissemination of information. There weren’t many content producers present, and the website was largely comprised of static web pages. The interactivity and usefulness were fairly constrained, despite the fact that it was groundbreaking for its day.

Web 1.0 forbids the viewing of ads while browsing websites.

The information era — Web 2

Web 2 refers to the web which highlights user-generated content, usability, and interworking for end users. Web 2.0 is also called the participative social web.

The Internet as it currently exists is less static and more dynamic. In 2004, the year that the first Web2 conference was held, Web2 began to gain popularity. The material is more user-generated, and the system that supports it attempts to actively involve users. Web2 elements like blogs, wikis, and social media platforms have changed the way we exchange and present information. By liking, sharing, tagging, tweeting, etc., users of Facebook and Twitter can not only consume information but also contribute their views, viewpoints, and opinions. There is undoubtedly a reliance on “Big Tech” corporations to provide the infrastructure and services we require; Web3 seeks to end this reliance.

However, one drawback of Web2 was that some of these big-tech companies expanded into monopolistic behemoths that illegally collected user data. There is no such thing as a free lunch, economist Milton Friedman famously said. Big computer giants weren’t providing all of these free Web2 platforms out of a sense of altruism. Users paid a hidden price by giving up control over their personal data.

When employing such Web2 innovations, users at first thought of themselves as the customer. They had actually changed into the final product. Their data was the product, to be more precise. The following information was gathered, quantified, packaged, and sold to marketing and advertising companies: search histories, email topics, likes and dislikes, political and religious affiliations, sexual orientation, relationship status, health information, and purchase histories of all kinds. Whistleblowers like Edward Snowden would also assert that big tech’s abundant data harvests were being spied on by more than just private companies. But that is a tale for another day.

Features of Web 2.0

It is also important to understand the distinctive features of web 2.0 for a precise impression of web 2.0 vs web 3.0. Here are some of the notable traits you can identify with web 2.0.

• Web 2.0 provides free information sorting, allowing users to retrieve and categorize the information together.
• The provision of dynamic material that is highly responsive to user inputs is a key component of the second generation of internet services.
• Web 2.0 also promotes online reviews and comments as means of communication between site visitors and site owners.
• Web 2.0 made it possible for practically any internet-connected device, including televisions, smartphones, gaming consoles, and mobile devices, to access web content.
• What’s most significant is that web 2.0 is also known as a participatory social web. Users might now contribute to the development and distribution of responsive content while also offering promising opportunities for teamwork. Therefore, it is obvious how important web 2.0 is for fostering the development of new online communities.

Usage of Web 2.0

Applications developed for Web 2.0 frequently engage the user significantly more. Because of these eight tools listed below, the end user is more than just an application user.

1. Podcasting
2. Blogging
3. Tagging
4. Curating with RSS
5. Social bookmarking
6. Social networking
7. Social media
8. Web content voting

Web 3.0

A power shift from large companies to individual users is anticipated as a result of the exciting Web3 phase of the internet.

Therefore, Web3 represents a backend revolution, while Web2 represents a frontend revolution that gave the static webpage a facelift. The dominance of information-hoarding behemoths like Facebook (now Meta) and Twitter will be challenged by their decentralized networks. Decentralization might reduce the influence of Web2’s enormous databases and level the playing field for users.

With the use of technologies like Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR), computers will be able to perceive information more similar to humans, and users will receive more specialized content and experiences.

Features of Web 3.0

Here are a few key points concerning Web 3.0 that will help you tell it apart from Web 2.0.

• Web 3.0 uses artificial intelligence to obtain real-time data and provide accurate results more quickly.
• Users may take advantage of the possibilities of 3D graphics and images thanks to Web 3.0.
• The Semantic Web features are another important aspect of Web 3.0. It suggests that Web 3.0 might facilitate word interpretation.
• Web 3.0 made it simple for both machines and people to find, distribute, and evaluate information.
• Additionally, a key feature of Web 3.0 is enhanced privacy and security.
• The security for user data and identification would be another major area of distinction between web 2.0 and web 3.0. Web 3.0 uses encryption to secure user identity and data and improves authorisation procedures through distributed ledger technologies.

Potential benefits

• Web3 will allow for greater user customization of the internet. Better communication, tailored search, and no more irrelevant marketplace
• You cannot be blocked as a user or denied access to the service by anyone.
• The data and information belong to the user. Blockchain technology is already in use in the cryptocurrency industry to secure financial data, where transactions in the ledger are recorded permanently and verifiably. Through encryption keys, which are independent of the service or program that created the original data, access to the data can be maintained.
• Users have the option to connect, do business, and share data discreetly and independently via Web3.
• In the evolution of ecosystems in the future, users will be increasingly involved. As a result, the ecosystems won’t have heads of state or CEOs; instead, key decisions will be made by token owners in Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs).
• Anyone connected to the network is authorized to use the service, therefore authorization is not necessary.
• Users now have more privacy control and their own digital identities.
• Since the blockchain is decentralized, no single entity, including businesses, governments, or hackers, can access, modify, or remove the data that is stored there.

Limitations of web3

• Scalability: Due to its decentralized nature, web3 transactions take longer to complete. A miner must process and spread changes to state, like a payment, throughout the network.
• UX — using web3 applications may call for additional processes, software, and training.
• Accessibility – Most people find web3 to be less accessible due to its lack of integration in contemporary web browsers.
• Cost: Because it’s pricey, the majority of well-known dApps only post a very small amount of their code on the blockchain.
• Adoption: Although some Internet users will embrace the progressive Web3 idea, many are likely to be turned off by its intricacies because technology typically adapts to change better than a person.

Web2 vs Web3 — Decentralization

A key component of Web3 is decentralization, which promises advancements in numerous areas. First of all, there is no centralized authority enforcing censorship without cause. A platform gets increasingly censorship-resistant the more decentralized it is.

Web2 vs Web3 — Trustless and Permissionless

Because Web3 is trustless and permissionless, users can communicate with one another without seeking authorization from a reputable third party or regulatory authority. Peer-to-peer networks without a central server are used by Web3 applications. Because of this, they are referred to as “dApps” rather than “apps,” or decentralized applications.

Web2 vs Web3 — Greater Connectivity

Compared to earlier eras, content is more interconnected with Web 3. The “internet of things” (IoT) will connect a growing number of commonplace items to various blockchain-based dApps.

Conclusion

Utilizing blockchains and numerous other decentralized protocols, such as external data oracles, storage, messaging, and digital identities is a key component of Web 3.0. As you may already be aware, tokens with cryptographically safe encryption are used to represent values in Web3.

Decentralized systems are becoming more technologically advanced, but this does not change how the internet will seem. Since web3’s innovation is most apparent at the “backend” of the internet, an average internet user might not even notice the difference. As a result, you may anticipate using decentralized versions of the identical applications that you presently use without noticeably changing their appearance.