Web 1 & Web 2, predecessors of the internet
The first generation of the internet was its 1st version, the Web 1 that is arrived in the late 1990s. The users were just passive viewers and rarely made content. Examples of Internet sites that are classified as Web 1.0 are Britannica Online, personal websites, and mp3.com. These websites are static and have limited functionality and flexibility. Websites were not so interactive there and the only use was just for reading and creating very basic and simple content, like the initial human beings who just invented fire, but didn’t know how to use that, so it was useless for them.
Then the Web 2 paced into this huge world as the next generation of the internet and changed the style of content creation, which could represent more applications to users rather than just reading and making simple content. Users then could establish and make more attractive and challenging data on websites and blogs like Tumblr, forums, and so on. In Web 2, users have more attempts for data establishment and are encouraged to provide content, rather than just viewing it. People are now able to publish papers and articles and comments, and it became possible to create user accounts on different websites, therefore increasing participation will happen. Web 2.0 has also introduced web apps, self-publishing platforms like WordPress, Joomla … as well as social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like. Many companies and institutions offered their services in order to collect the user’s data and that happened with the aim of Web 2 technology. A lot of people are tired of what these huge tech companies have created and want to have more control over their content. This is where Web 3 comes in.
Web 3 can be found as the “read/write/own” section of the Internet. People can participate in the governance and running the protocols, than just using free technology platforms in exchange for our information. The meaning is that users are not just customers, but they can become contributors and stakeholders. These things happen in a world named decentralized web.
What is the decentralized web?
First of all, let’s look at decentralization. Today, all of the infrastructures that the famous websites we spend time on are usually owned by companies and, somehow, controlled by regulations set out by governments.
Nowadays, we have other chances, and especially, we have blockchain technology. Blockchain is a relatively new way of storing data online, which is built around the two core concepts of encryption and distributed computing.
A great example is the gaming industry. Gamers are always complaining about the bugs that developers leave in their favorite video games, or how the latest patch has upset the balance of their favorite weapon. With Web 3, gamers can invest in the game itself and vote on how things should be operated. Large Web 2 companies, like Meta (Old Facebook) and Ubisoft, are creating virtual worlds powered in part by Web 3. Non-fungible tokens (NFT) will also play a huge role in reshaping the gaming industry by allowing players to become the ever owners of the items they obtain.