Why Web3 Will Always Rely on Web2

To say Web3 is promising is an understatement. This new era of blockchain technology has proprietary advantages that the current state of the internet, Web2, can never accomplish. However, despite the many benefits of Web3, it will always need Web2 to operate effectively. Let’s take a thorough look under the hood to see why this powerful engine belongs in a sustainable, proven car.

A major factor as to why Web3 will always need Web2 is user adoption. The current user base of Web3 applications is miniscule compared to the user base of Web2. Furthermore, Web3 applications are in their early development stages making them extremely difficult to use for the average person. On the contrary, Web2 applications have been battle tested for years, spending billions of dollars to continuously optimize the user experience to the point where my 5 year old cousin is a wizard with his iPad, but has not yet learned how to multiply. Web3 integrating with Web2 will be like a bridge between the two worlds. Powerful blockchain tools that can leverage a large user base with an intuitive user experience that does not require a learning curve.

The next dependency is based off of the pre-mature infrastructure of Web3. Running apps built on the blockchain require immense data processing power, reliable hosting, and accessible data storage which are all available in the Web2 data structure. Modern society is spoiled with fast loading times, an abundance of memory, and will never take a step back when it comes to performance of saving/reading data. Without the Web2 infrastructure, Web3 will never be able to scale in today’s world.

This reason is a little boring, but it is a massive obstacle that must be addressed, regulation. Currently it is a legal nightmare to place a suitable regulatory framework on decentralized networks. Regulators, in any industry, have always dealt with a central authority. Until regulators figure this problem out, Web3 will have to attach itself to Web2 to provide the necessary legal and regulatory foundation.

The last cause of why Web3 will always need Web2 is the isolated nature of the different blockchains. All Web3 applications are built on blockchains, but these distinctive blockchains do not communicate with each other. The blockchain networks have different protocols and unique features making them completely independent and cannot integrate with one another on the Web3 layer. Therefore, Web3 applications will need to be on Web2 infrastructure in order to facilitate communication across the different blockchain networks.

Throughout the course of time humans always leverage past learnings to accelerate new discoveries. Web3 is revolutionary, but that does not mean it has to reinvent the wheel when we already have an amazing car called Web2 ready. We just need to properly hook up the new engine to what we have already made and love, ensuring everyone can experience the unique power of Web3.