Why Web 2.0 And Web 3.0 Should Be Interoperable
There has been a lot of buzz about Web 3.0 and its benefits, from privacy and data ownership to decentralization — the list is long. While the benefits of Web 3.0 are everywhere, one aspect has been neglected; the role of Web 2.0 in adopting Web 3.0.
An unpopular opinion about this topic is that ‘Web 2.0 products will not die out nor its growth impedes, but rather will be responsible for the broader and rapid user adoption of Web 3.0 products through interoperability.’
To elucidate this view, let’s foremost go over the relevant terms — Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 products.
Web 2.0-based products, often referred to as social web, are a form of the internet that allows users to create content and engage with those content examples of these are social media platforms, etc.
Conversely, Web 3.0-based products are envisioned to be the tipping point of the web. They aim at a more autonomous, intelligent, and open internet. An important note is Web 3.0 applications are dependent on blockchain and is keen on decentralization.
With both terms explicitly explained, it’s time to discuss interoperability, its essence, and a micro case study.
What is Interoperability And its Essence?
According to the Oxford dictionary, interoperability is the ability of computer systems or software to exchange and use information.
Interoperability in this context is about data exchange between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 products. Think about this as a bond that connects and shapes a better coalition. In two words, interoperability is comparable to ‘cross interaction.’
Let’s look into Meta’s (formerly Facebook Inc.) decision to allow cross-posting between Instagram and Facebook.
The introduction of cross-posting was a means to help individuals having a Facebook and Instagram account to connect both platforms for several purposes. Meta says, “By using Facebook and Instagram together, you can reach even more people looking to you for inspiration.” The idea behind cross-posting benefits users and Meta.
Cross-posting, similar to Interoperability, impacted the usage of Meta’s Facebook and Instagram. More advanced and expansive connectivity emerged when Meta allowed cross-posting to other social media apps outside its native app, like Twitter and Tumblr.
The advantage for users involves better post-management and an easier route for content repurposing. The cross-posting feature allowed users to prioritize and contributed to the growth of SMEs, creators, and several startups. Meta’s advantage from cross-posting was to increase the decline in the feed content and a strategy to bolster screen time.
Interoperability For Web 3.0 and Web 2.0
Using Meta’s case study, it is best to rationalize interoperability using social media platforms (Web 2.0) — this will form the basis of what will come below.
Twitter is a social media platform that enhances communication through microblogging. It serves to connect people, allowing them to share their thoughts easily. Recently, it proved to be a way to share information with a group of people faster and efficiently — with its multimedia incorporation.
This feature permits Twitter to reach a broad audience and build significant awareness. It has impacted the rising curiosity and misgiving about the entire Web 3.0 landscape. A piece of striking evidence is from the boom in the non-fungible tokens (NFT) industry through the platforms. A prominent event was the purchase of Jack Dorsey’s first tweet, which sold for $2.9 million. The sales of this tweet played a pivotal role in adopting non-fungible tokens and helped flatten the barrier of entry by providing information.
Over time, Twitter became a contact point for successive NFT projects and community plans. “Twitter is where people go to talk about things they care about, and often where people have their first experience with crypto and NFTs,” a Twitter spokesperson told Techcrunch. It is impossible to neglect Twitter’s position in the success of the non-fungible token industry.
Meta has also indicated an interest in the growing NFT industry. While many are skeptical about Web 3.0, the involvement of trusted brands that have amassed a high level of trust through its services is integral to adoption.
The only way web 3.0 can prevail is through dependence on the Web 2.0 platform. The survival of Web 2.0 and 3.0 is dependent on each other. Web 2.0 needs to integrate some parts of Web 3.0 to maintain its value and Web 3.0 is dependent on web 2.0 for greater adoption across the space.
An Important Interoperable Feature
The definition of interoperability is clear, and the impact of Web 2.0 in this area is evident. A critical question is how web 2.0 products make accessibility to Web 3.0 protocol or derivatives such as NFT easy.
On the 20th of January, 2022, Twitter launched NFT profile pictures for Twitter blue subscribers. This feature allows individuals to certify the ownership of their NFT by linking their Twitter to a compatible wallet with the NFT. After authentication, the PFP appears as a hexagonal shape. This feature was due to Twitter’s interest in integrating blockchain into its system. Here is what it looks like below.
Implementing this has solved major problems that had emerged in the space — some of these problems include: How does one express the love for an NFT collectible? How does one prove ownership? Etc.
This implementation allowed individuals with an NFT to showcase it as their Twitter profile, giving them more use cases beyond just purchasing the NFT.
As we move into the future, people may pay a royalty for using NFT images that don’t belong to them — this would be possible through Web2.0 platforms. Also, more Web 2.0 platforms will contain a feature that lets people showcase their “NFT” collection — the transaction for purchasing an NFT on Web 2.0 platforms as Twitter would be via a third party.
Interoperability at its Best
A siloed version of web 2.0 and web 3.0 will lead to slow adoption and halt the acquisition of potential users and relevance in the space. Cross communication will be a priority soon, as users discover the need; a way to design this is by knitting both Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. Appropriate connectivity will build and shape the industry into the envisioned web 3.0.
In the future, we will see more centralized bodies and organizations incorporate part of Web 3.0 into their system. It will go a long way in carrying people along with the current trend in the entire space. Information exchange is integral to the growth of Web 3.0 in its entirety.
Web 2.0-based products will gradually transition to incorporate elements of Web 3.0 into their products to meet up with the shifting world of technology and for longevity.
Conclusion
The importance of the interoperability of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 products is unexaggerated; It’s evident — and, web 3.0 products have more to benefit. There’s also a pattern in play currently; the gradual transition of Web 2.0 platforms to becoming blockchain-oriented platforms.
Within months or years, platforms like Meta and Twitter will be more progressive at redefining their core and sway to the general theme of Web 3.0 — Decentralization.
Reaching the apex of decentralization and achieving the goal of Web 3.0, there’s a need for a coalition between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0.
