Mar 1, 2022
If Web2.0 + 1 = Web3.0, what is “+1"?
In 2021, Justin Beiber performed in the metaverse — a virtual stage. That same 2021, Snoop Dogg sold lands in the metaverse. All of these started from the buzzword "web 3.0". What does it mean, and how is it different from web 2.0?
Before we begin, do you believe in prophets? Or seers? Or future tellers?
In early 1900, Nikola Tesla talked about a world where everything would be wireless. Paul Otlet and Vannevar Bush also spoke about when books and other media would be stored and easily accessed in digital form.
Brief origin of the internet
The men mentioned above, alongside many scientists, were smart enough to see the future, but they were not lucky enough to see the future. In the 1960s, when the concept of the internet kicked off, these men had kicked their individual buckets.
At this time, government researchers needed a system to store and share information with other researchers. Computers were used for this purpose, but there was a significant setback. Researchers had to travel down to the location of a computer to access the information on that computer. Transfer of data between computers was not possible.
The problem of data transfer was solved during the Cold War (necessity is the mother of invention, yunno). The U.S. Defense Department needed to disseminate information if the Soviet Union declared a nuclear attack. This was what led to the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) or, as we all know it, THE INTERNET.
Web 1.0
The creation of the ARPANET was a phenomenal achievement, but there were restrictions. Only government and academic researchers had access to the network. The rest of us cheered what we read in the papers. A few websites were created, but the internet was majorly prosaic.
Web 2.0
This right here is the cave in which we all currently cohabit. The once bland web 1.0 were rejuvenated, creating a new dynamic. This was the time when people began to enjoy the internet. It became possible for internet users to create content, interact with other people's content, and create social connections from any part of the world.
I am writing this article now, and someone in Australia, Paraguay, Estonia, or any other part of the world can read it as soon as it goes live. Readers can also comment on the article or connect with me if they wish. That's the beauty of web 2.0.
Social networks, blogs, online forums, and likes are established and expanded on web 2.0. Large companies like Amazon, Google, Netflix, Facebook, and so on have profited massively from web 2.0. Small companies have also had their share of the large piece of cake. Individuals have made money, secured jobs, sold services, and these are only a few of the benefits of web 2.0
This internet generation birthed e-commerce, cloud storage, and the social media that we all love. But there are also problems associated with web 2.0. (Sighs, Ikr, Problem no dey finish).
Centralization of control was a significant problem of web 2.0. What does this mean? I could be angry about the racism in the West and post something like "F#@K Americans" on my Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg's bots will now see my post and flag it as hate speech. What happens next? Facebook deletes the post, and I get a warning. Now, I have to be careful when next I'm posting else Facebook will take my account from me.
Another instance will be Twitter suspending innocent people's accounts because they are getting many followers within a short time. There are many instances of centralized control that made web 2.0 bromidic.
Security issues are another concern. If you are an avid internet user, you must have been in a situation where someone tried to hack your account. That's another web2.0 wahala.
What is Web3.0?
If you have not heard about web3.0 at this time, maybe you are reading from 2017. If so, please buy Bitcoin; it will reach an all-time high of over $60,000.
I hope the next few sentences will be helpful for those who have seen this buzzword but still don't know anything.
Web 1.0 was built to solve a significant communication problem. Web 2.0 was created to solve web 1.0's problem. Need I say why web 3.0 was developed?
Decentralization, openness, and user utility are the significant concepts that govern web 3.0. No one has sovereign control of the network. Before creating my content, I don't need to liaise with another man's social network. No one can take my content down. Zero censorship, Zero surveillance. Freedom at last!
Other than decentralization, web 3.0 takes away the need for a third-party or government authorization and replaces these with the blockchain, P2P networks, or a hybrid of blockchain and P2P networks called dApps.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning to imitate human behaviour is another feature of web 3.0. The accuracy is next to perfect enabling computers to perform activities and produce better results faster.
Last but not least is the issue of connectivity. Web 3.0 encourages connection and ubiquity. In 2021, an internet user paid over $400,000 to buy a property beside Snoop Dogg. Something which might not be possible in real life. (If only Stormzy and I could be neighbours).
Web 3.0 is still evolving, and there is still a lot to learn from this new realm of the internet. The openness of web 3.0 insinuates that collective effort is crucial to its development. There are several ways to contribute and create something for web 3.0. A solid example would be Nestcoin collaborating with the Zuri team for Blockgames. Blockgames is an 8-week program that aims to equip creators with the right skills to build blockchain projects that will solve problems of blockchain technology.
Rounding this off, you should know that concerns are being raised about the development of web 3.0. The decentralization takes away the power of regulation and gives room for crime, misinformation, and other ill doings. Where there is no law, there is no rule. Can we really live in a world where there is no rule? I'll leave that for you to answer.
