The Evolution of the Internet: Web 0.0 to Web 3.0
The Web has gone through many iterations, each building on the last fixing the problems that previously existed. Today we are experiencing something unique…a brand new evolution of The Web. I want to take you through the 3 major stages of the internet, as well as give you background on how it first started.
Web 0.0 — ARPANET
Let’s go back to 1969. The ARPANET was the very beginning of the modern internet. ARPANET was a set of supercomputers in the USA that were used to pass information digitally (for military purposes, just like we do today. They developed a set of protocols for this information to be passed.
They essentially chopped up the information into tiny packages and sent them through the ARPANET following protocol. The receiving computer would then follow protocol and piece these tiny packages together to be read the way they were meant to.
Picture this: I want to mail you the epic 4016-piece Lego Death Star. My mailing service can’t fit my Death Star in an envelope… so I have a brilliant idea. I know you already have the instructions for the set (because who doesn’t), so I mail you the pieces one by one. When you receive the pieces you use your instruction set to build the Death Star and our problem is solved. This is a simplified logic of how ARPANET functioned.
Web 1.0 — Static
Now… Why is it important to read my Lego Death Star analogy? These open protocols gave birth to Web 1.0. As more protocols were developed, they began to evolve how information was delivered and invented the Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). These protocols were open to being used by anybody, and everybody, and lay the groundwork for how information is passed through the web today. This is the birth of the public internet.
People were able to access the web through a series of links that directed users to a particular page. Suddenly, every company needed a website so that internet users could visit them, and consume all their marketing/propaganda. The newspaper began to migrate onto a digital platform alongside the uproar of blogs, and then the internet began to gain traction.
Web 1.0 had a major problem: It couldn’t be interacted with, meaning users could do anything but read on there. Web1.0 protocols facilitated the transfer of data but were terrible at storing user data. Entrepreneurs (and nerds like us) sought to solve this problem, giving birth to Web 2.0.
Web 2.0 — Centralized & Interactive
Companies began solving the problem using proprietary code. The big revolution during the beginning of Web 2.0 is the creation of social media. Companies focused on storing user data and making platforms interactive. They created solutions for other problems like online payments and cooler websites. These companies saw an opportunity in keeping the technology private and monetizing it.
With more and more proprietary code being developed, there began a war between the public and private web. This battle persisted until companies noticed one very important thing… cookies. Cookies are data collected by the website of the users. Cookies remember data from all your visits and help the platform tailor the content you view. The value of user data was like GOLD, and each company treasured its data because it gave them an edge over its competition. Once the value of cookies was realized, the war was won by the private web, and Web 2.0 took over.
The problem with this was that companies now owned your data, and they controlled the content you consume, and censor the content you don’t. Our internet is controlled by a handful of mega-companies, such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. With all these big companies being dominant, competition is reduced since smaller companies can’t keep up. Companies were now more concerned with satisfying shareholders, prioritizing profit, instead of satisfying consumers.
Web 3.0 — Decentralized
Web 3.0 solves the problems with Web 2.0 by returning to the concepts found in Web 1.0. Due to all the problems of the private web, we are returning to the open web, using technology developed in the past 50 years.
In this era of the internet, data is no longer owned and stored by certain companies but stored on the blockchain. You once again own your own data and can give permission to platforms to use it or not. This means that companies can no longer censor information, and you have full power over what you consume. This creates an environment where companies must have more truthful, and source information, otherwise users will simply not engage.
On Web 3.0, you have one virtual identity which you can use to surf the web. This means you no longer have to create an account for every single website you go on.
Web 3.0 is once again returning to open protocols, in a space where the most valuable things are transparency and trust. All users must work together to create open protocols for this to work, and the web is only as valuable as the people on it.
To further familiarize yourself with Web 3.0, read my article on the blockchain!
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. For any questions, comments, or concerns please reach out to me via LinkedIn or email (marcechaman@gmail.com)
