(Originally Posted July 14th 2023) There are always previous versions of technology that have their series and the Internet is no different. Web 1 was the beginning of users on the Internet with mainly personal webpages and basic hosting options. Web 2 is when the Internet became more accessible for everyone and where users are currently active. Every website is a connection point to a centralized hub where anybody can connect to each other without much hassle all on a main companies server which usually would collect data on the people using the servers. Web 3 is a step away from data collection by using Blockchain and Peer-to-peer connections to host a website.This decentralization aspect makes it so that any data a participant shares is encrypted in the Blockchain and cannot be easily accessed.
There are some upsides with being decentralized, Participants are able to retain ownership of any personal content they create without fear of it being removed entirely due to breaching a Terms of service or being removed by a moderator, Created content can be curated by other participants on Web 3 which might earn currencies associated to the Web 3 platform, no account deletion from the platform will occur due to the Participant account details and access being personally held by the participant.
And then there are some downsides with being decentralized, Any content seen is timeline based and not controlled by an algorithm catering content to the users interests, accounts are created and given unique key code(s) for different levels of access depending on what website in Web 3 that is being visited, if the account keys are lost, forgotten, or stolen there is NOBODY who can help recover the account or keys. The holder of the keys is ALWAYS responsible for maintaining security and control of their account access and any assets currently held in possession, vigilance must always be taken due to frequent scams and Ne’er-do-wells trying to take whatever they can.
“Web 3” isn’t a replacement of the current internet like some say, ‘Web 2’ has become a necessary part of living in modern society. Ease of use and the centralization provided by corporations is a part of being on the internet. “Web 3” or the ‘Decentralized Internet’ is a destination for creators who wish to have full control and ownership of their content and to be free of entities selling their information. Web 3 is still in its early stages and development to make the platform easier to navigate are still occurring.
Helpful Links-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web3 – It’s Wikipedia. Basic history and explanation here!
https://www.coindesk.com/learn/what-is-web-3-and-why-is-everyone-talking-about-it/ – Talks about the options available on Web 3