Experts believe Web 3 is the future of the internet. But do you know what Web 3 is?

Surely you have a ton of questions like, What is Web 3? Where did it come from? How does it work? Well, I’m about to reveal everything you should know about Web 3 and why it’s been such a buzz lately.

But first, let’s start from the top. I can’t tell you what Web 3 is without talking about Web 1 and Web 2. So let’s get to it…

Web 1 “The Read Only Era”

Web 1 was established between 1991-2004, you were still a child or probably not even born yet (lol). Anyway, it consisted of static pages and there was nothing like logging in or liking, commenting, etc.

There was no form of interaction between the user and the sites. Users were consumers of information. It was basically like reading a newspaper or magazine but on screens. Then it evolved into Web 2…

Web 2 “The Age of Targeted Advertising”

Web 2 sprung up in 2004 and still exists to this day. The major change was interactivity. Meaning that we got information from pages/sites and they got information from us as well.

This is where the big tech companies like Facebook, YouTube, etc. thrived because by collecting information from you they now knew the kinds of things you like or don’t like and tailored their feed to things that will keep you on their site longer.

I mean you’ve noticed that YouTube usually recommends videos similar to others you liked or have continuously viewed right? That makes you keep watching and watching and watching, you get the point.

But that’s not all, these big tech companies also package all the data they’ve collected and sell it to advertisers. Including data you didn’t even know you gave them.

I recently saw an article about how a girl’s father found out she was pregnant through an email advertising baby clothes and stuff from a store she frequently shopped at, crazy right?

They figured it out through the data they had on her, the things she was buying, when she started buying some things, etc. Generally, there is a lack of privacy and that’s where Web3 comes in…

Finally Web 3 “The Future of the Internet”

Web 3 is a new version of the internet that utilizes blockchain technology and promotes decentralization.

Meaning there are no big tech companies in control of all the data and you have full control of your data.

This means you are no longer just consumers, but you can also become shareholders and participate in the decision-making process as well.

Web 3 also allows you to publish anything on the internet and it can't be taken down. While this allows for more freedom of expression since there are no restrictions like there are on platforms like Twitter, it also allows the publishing of illegal and harmful content. There will forever be that person who just wants to ruin the good things smh.

Anyway, another thing Web 3 promotes is privacy. You can be completely anonymous and freely surf the internet. This is a big plus since no one likes to be tracked or stalked, that’s just creepy. Web 3 also works hand in hand with cryptocurrencies and tokens and in the future big tech companies may be replaced with DAOs (Decentralised Autonomous Organizations).

These are organizations that have no presidents or CEOs and decisions are made by shareholders in the organization through voting instead of a small group of people within the company like Facebook and the likes. Usually, people holding the most governance tokens get to impact the decision-making process more. It is not exaggerating to say Web 3 is the future of the internet.

So that’s what you need to know about Web 3. I hope you found this helpful.

Till next time.