The debate about Web 3.0 intensified after Mark Zuckerberg gave a short presentation about setting the direction of the company's work to create a metaverse project and renaming Facebook Meta*.
This had a domino effect as other major companies began to reveal their own plans, including their vision for the meta-universe. Of course, this will have an impact on our entire lives and on the perception of the Internet. This event caused the need to accelerate the transition to Web 3.0. Internet.
There are many explanations of Web 3.0, but none of them are entirely clear. The reason is that it is difficult to define exactly what Web 3.0 is, since there is no strict definition. Typically, Web3 development company is associated with cryptocurrencies, blockchain and the metaverse. And this is partly true, since these technologies are already creating the modern Internet. It will take a lot longer to get a clear picture of Web 3.0, and no one has any idea how long. For instance, it took roughly ten years to move from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. Here we will take stock of the evolutionary development of the Internet and try to figure out where we are going.
Paleolithic Internet 1.0
In 1991, the first stage of the evolutionary development of the Internet began (Web 1.0). It lasted until 2004. Most websites of those times were static pages with images and text. You could only read the text and nothing else. Portfolio sites representing a business or a person were popular. Users are consumers, they had the opportunity to see the same text and read it like a newspaper. The Internet is not secure; it is easy for users to become infected with a virus by clicking on malicious links. The advertising did not work because it was not targeted; the sites were mostly unprofitable. Websites became more dynamic after the creation of javascript and flash technologies.
Mesolithic Web 2.0: the era of big data
The Web 2.0 era began in 2004, and we are in it today. Instead of sites that are read-only, users interact with them: communicate, make posts, sell and buy, use them as a program. They have the opportunity to see different content depending on their interests, which is only possible through the collection of user information and its analysis. The primary instruments for creating targeted content are information science and machine learning. Information is generated by users, but stored and managed by technology without ensuring confidentiality. The company uses data about users to display advertising. Users have become regular products.
Neolithic Internet 3.0 or the era of blockchain
Now a new era is beginning - Web 3.0, in which users act as owners of information. Information, services and companies are owned and managed using a DAO (decentralized blockchain network). If there is no president or CEO, then companies are forced to switch to DAO. The services' source code is open. They make changes based on consensus among users. All data transfers are confidential and information is protected. The copyright of digital assets is protected and assigned to NFT (we are talking about a unique token that is stored on the blockchain).
All transactions are carried out using cryptocurrencies, which ensures their security and prompt transfer. Each user is anonymous and hides behind a virtual avatar. Users have the ability to connect to different virtual worlds, as well as interact with other people and 3D models. Though it sounds like science fiction, this is already taking place. Over time, the transition will only accelerate. Blockchain is a revolutionary technology set to change industries, setting a completely new standard.
Conclusion
We are only at the very beginning of the transition to the Web 3.0 Internet. We have a long way to go. Firstly, blockchain has challenged many very influential organizations: banks, global corporations. He is trying to take power from them by making it decentralized. Secondly, a new generation is growing up, already spending most of their lives in games (for example, the metaverse), they know about blockchain, cryptocurrency, and digital transactions in games. When they begin to replace us, they will have completely different requirements for the market. Businesses will have to adapt as we enter a new internet era.