Mar 8, 2022
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEB 2.0 AND WEB 3.0
What do Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 mean? Which one is better?
For us to make any sense, we need to talk briefly about Web 1.0.
The internet has evolved in different phases over the years since the time it was created. Web 1.0 was the first phase of the World Wide Web evolution, which was designed as a “hyperlinked information system”. Web 1.0 was;
- Read- Only- Web pages were static where the content was served from the server’s file system. It was a content delivery network that enables the showcase of the piece of information on the websites. If you want to publish your content online, it will require you to have some technical skills, so most users were readers except for lectures, scientists e.t.c. Moreover, there was no interactivity on these pages. You can’t “react” to posts with comments or likes. Instead, you just consume information.
- Open-source- it allows internet users to access data from anywhere in the world and anyone could build on the web.
- Decentralized- Anyone could publish information of any kind, to anyone in the world, without the permission of a central authority.
Web 1.0 lasted from the late 1980s until 2005.
The next “phase” of the Web was Web 2.0.
Web 2.0 is simply the web that we know today.
Instead of static content, the web became a place for dynamic content, where users can now interact with content published on the web. This user interaction became possible because of the invention of technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript allowing developers to build apps where users can interact with content in real-time.
Be it social media, blogging, podcasting, or social bookmarking — Web 2.0 is completely interaction-based. We engage through comments and likes, and we can easily attach and share content like images and music with other people. Some notable apps that flourished in Web 2.0: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and of course, Google. That is why this era of the web is also called the “Social Web”.
The next “phase” of the web is called Web 3.0.
Web 3.0 is a Semantic Web. This means that rather than just searching for content based on keywords or numbers, we can use Artificial Intelligence to understand the meaning of the content on the web. This would allow machines to understand and interpret information like humans. The main purpose of the Semantic Web is to enable users to find, share and combine information more easily.
However, these days, the term “Web 3.0” has evolved to mean a lot more than just the Semantic web. More specifically, blockchain enthusiasts who are building Dapps use the term “Web 3.0” to describe the idea of building applications on an open and decentalized architecture.
Major Difference Between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0
- Web 2.0 is completely interaction-based(participation) while, Web 3.0 is focused on semantic learning that is, it enables users to find, share and combine information more easily.
- Web 2.0 participation in the network is controlled by a central gatekeeper while, Web 3.0 network is decentralized i.e. anyone can participate in the network without seeking permission from a third party.
- Web 2.0 is focused on community development while Web 3.0 is focused on building individual users.
- Web 2.0 makes use of technologies like HTML, CSS, and Javascript while, Web 3.0 makes use of technologies like Machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Decentralized protocol.
- Web 2.0 makes use of collective knowledge to generate important information, while Web 3.0 recognizes user’s behavior through the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to interact and provide information.
- Web 3.0 gives users the ability to connect, transact and share data privately and without relying on a third party While with Web 2.0, every time you interact with the internet, copies of your data get sent to the data servers, and you no longer own it exclusively.
