Meaning of Web 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 in the crypto world. Blockchain technology and decentralization in the Web. Features, examples, cryptos of Web 3.0
In the older times, there were three basic needs of humans, i.e., food, clothes, and shelter. Today, the internet has become the fourth one. As we all know everything has a tendency to develop over time if it is the need of someone.
So, we cannot ignore the latest developments on the internet. As there is a long journey in the initial development of the internet, today it is getting its newer version every two or three decades.
Initially, a lot of tech enthusiasts tried to build a network of computers around the world through which one person can contact another without physically meeting him/her. Now, no one talks about this. Everyone talks about some new developments in this field.
In this article, I will try to explain to you the core concept of web 1.0, 2.0, 3.0. I will also deeply explain the executable meaning, applications, and technology behind Web 3.0.
So, before directly moving on to web 3.0, let's first discuss the three versions of the web.
What is Web 1.0?
Initially, a lot of tech companies around the world were trying to develop a messaging system. It was in 1966 when Arpanet, a US technology company, became successful in developing a network of computers where messages could be sent from one computer to another. But it used to take hours to send even a single message.
You know, this was even a very great achievement at that time. The real era of the internet began in the early 1990s, which is known as Web 1.0, where there were static websites on the internet. The word "static" means the pages were very simple and the interface of the pages did not allow users to interact.
So, you could not comment on your friend's GTA Vice City webpage. Neither you had a right to navigate from one page to another nor could you see any animated content on the web page. You could only see what's there on a page with limited rights.
Now, let's move on to the second phase of the internet, i.e., Web 2.0.
What is Web 2.0?
Web 2.0, started to appear at the beginning of 2000. From 2004, the whole internet converted into Web 2.0 which is still there. We are currently using the second version of the internet.
In Web 2.0, the websites are interactive where users can not only read the web pages but also post comments, give their feedback, upload photos, and videos, etc. In Web 1.0, users could only read the information provided by the website owners while in Web 2.0, they can also give their information to the website owners through the web pages.
Users can create digital identities, upload their content, shop online, apply for jobs, can have live meetings, post reviews, etc.
Because of the better connectivity of users with each other through the websites, Web 2.0 is also known as the Social Web.
With this, a term called "Social Media" came into existence which means one can connect to thousands of people online without making much effort. The well-known examples of social media platforms are Facebook(Now Meta), Youtube, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
Web 2.0 introduced e-commerce platforms that made shopping a very easy task. These platforms take information from users about a particular product or service through their dynamic web pages. After the information has been delivered to the employees of the particular platform, the employees then deliver the essentials to the users.
What is Web 3.0?
As we saw in the case of Web 2.0, users give their information to a company in order to use its services. The company then sells this information to advertising companies to display relevant ads to the users.
This is the simplest business tactic in today's online world. Everyone who works online targets its users' information to make a profit.
Every Web 2.0 company owns the whole private data of its customers. So, we are not sure what's going to happen with the data. It is most common to sell this information to advertising networks. What if the data of the company gets leaked or the company is wrongly intended to sell this data to other malicious companies.
This is happening in today's world with the big tech companies. So, it is obvious for technology experts to develop such a system where the data of the users is secure. The privacy concerns of users made Web 3.0 develop. Web 3.0, also known as Web3, works on the concept that the data of users does not remain on a single network or within the hands of a single person or organization. It is shared by a number of networks making it more secure.
The core technology giving rise to Web3 is blockchain technology, the technology that governs all cryptocurrencies available in the market. In the Web3 world, users do not need to give their data to the platform owner. This data will be available in a chain that is developed by a number of high-power electronic devices.
The owners of these devices are generally known as the miners(in the case of Bitcoin, the Bitcoin miners). Everyone with such a device can become a miner. So, Web3 is more open and everyone can participate in it.
The data of blockchain is publicly available so that everyone can easily access it. The idea of public availability makes it more secure as this data now cannot be used for marketing purposes.
Blockchain technology(the core technology of Web3) was invented with the invention of Bitcoin in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto. But today, when more and more investors are joining the crypto world and people are becoming aware of their privacy, blockchain technology has become the need of the hour.
What Is Web 3.0 Built On?
As we know, the idea of Web 3.0 is based on the privacy concerns of users. Blockchain technology is the core part of this new version of the web.
Let's take the example of Bitcoin(in short BTC). In the traditional way, we need the permission of a third party to make a transaction. The third-party may be a credit card company, a central bank, or any other organization.
But in the case of Bitcoin, there is no role of a third party. Whenever one wants to make a transaction, a difficult mathematical problem is created which is solved by the Bitcoin miners. They do this with high-powered and large computers.
There are a number of Bitcoin miners participating in the process of a single transaction. The data of the transaction is then recorded on a public blockchain in blocks. All the blocks are interlinked. To change data inside one block, we need to change that of the previous block. So, to hack a single transaction, one needs to hack the whole system which is impossible.
Therefore, in short, we can say that Web 3.0 is built on three principles, decentralization, security, and openness of data.
Features of Web 3.0
Web 3.0 is a strong solution to many problems. It is an efficient step to improve the old version of the internet. Now, let's discuss the features of Web 3.0.
1. Security
In Web 3.0, the data is not owned by a single organization, rather it is shared by a number of devices on that network. Let's take the example of web hosting.
In the present world, the content of a website is hosted on a single network of the hosting company. Millions of people use the hosting of a particular company. If someone hacks the network of the hosting company, then all the data available on the network will be in the hands of the hackers. Hackers can use it for malicious purposes.
But for a network that uses blockchain technology to host the content of a website, the whole data is distributed on a number of servers. To hack a single piece of data, the hackers have to hack the whole system which is impossible.
So, there is the full security of data in the case of Web 3.0.
2. Decentralization
As I said in the earlier example, the data is not owned by a single company. It is rather equally shared by all the servers participating in the regulation of the company.
In this way, one single company does not own the whole data. There is not any single organization that has control over all the activities happening on the network.
3. Accuracy
Web 3.0 uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide the most accurate information to users. The internet of present day is based mainly on keywords. It is not in the case of Web 3.0. Web 3.0 focuses on entities.
Let's take the example of Google. Google is a search engine that solves our query by giving appropriate results whenever we put anything in the search box. Now, the results that appear on SERP are generally based on the idea of keywords present on the web page and in our query(Though it is a different thing that when more and more people post the same query, the SERP gets improved based on the intent of the users.). It does not focus on the real-world meaning of a particular query.
All the websites that use machine learning and artificial intelligence provide information to us in the same way as we saw in the real world. This is the reason why Web 3.0 is also known as the Semantic Web.
Examples of Web 3.0
A lot of companies have already started to roll out for the future world because Web 3.0 will not come in the future. It has started to take its position in the 2020s.
Google is constantly improving its algorithms to make the search results more user-friendly. It is intensively using machine learning in its core areas.
Facebook Inc. has changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc. and trying to develop its own metaverse. There will be a virtual world of Meta where users can do all the activities they do in the real world. They could attend meetings of far-off places, play games, sell and buy various things and many more.
Bitcoin and other altcoins are the best examples of Web 3.0 technologies. People are able to make transactions in virtual currencies and buy real goods.
The big tech companies like Meta, Google, Apple, etc., if unable to adopt the principles of decentralization and blockchain technology, there various alternatives to these companies are emerging which may replace them.
Web 3.0 Cryptocurrencies in the Market
As the lockdown became a big opportunity for cryptocurrencies, Web 3.0 took a significant leap at this time. People became more and more data conscious and this helped a lot in the way of Web 3.0. As Bitcoin took a leap, other cryptocurrencies also emerged. So here are some of the examples of Web 3.0 cryptocurrencies you should take into concern while investing.
Helium(HNT-USD)
Decentralization is one of the building blocks of Web 3.0. How can we decentralize the internet? By making the websites decentralized. Yes, obviously but the first step is to decentralize the access to the internet.
Helium is doing this by providing internet connections on the blockchain. As we have miners in the case of bitcoin, we have wireless hotspots in Helium. Anyone can buy this hardware and then provide internet to high traffic areas.
By doing so, the owner of the wireless hotspot gets a reward in cryptocurrency. As more and more people buy this hardware and deploy them to serve the internet, the system becomes more and more secure.
Flux(FLUX-USD)
To apply the Web 3.0 concept to the internet, we need platforms that run on Blockchain technology. The more decentralized applications or Dapps there, the more is the Web 3.0 concept applied.
Flux helps in such circumstances as it provides a platform to build Web 3.0 applications. These applications can then be deployed on various platforms across the internet.
Filecoin(FIL-USD)
As the name suggests, Filecoin is an open-source cryptocurrency and a digital payment system that allows users to store data on its blockchain. It is a very good alternative to cloud storage companies. The data stored on this platform can be anything like videos, audio, text files, images, and any other.
Wrapping Up
The blockchain technology that came with Bitcoin is the need of the hour because of the privacy concern of the people. So, there are a lot of blockchain alternatives available to traditional digital platforms.
There Blockchain-Based Search Engines(BBSE) are in the market in which there is no centralized control. Blockchain alternatives to social media platforms are also there. To live in the changing world, we need to learn about the latest updates.
In the comment section below, let me know what you think of a blockchain alternative to traditional social media. I want to know some names from you.
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