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Web1 vs Web2 vs Web3

Blockchain technology has seen a lot of development since its inception by Satoshi Nakomoto’s whitepaper of 2008. So much so, that today blockchain offers the chance to build an entirely new and reformed form of web for the world that is being termed as web3. But wait, web3 means we have already had web1 and web2, right?

But what are web1 and web2. More importantly, how are they both different to web3? Lets try and understand that!

Web 1.0 Beta

In the beginning of the era of the Internet, was launched the first version of the Web which we now call, Web1.0 . It was designed to be accessed and operated by companies and not individual users. Being a totally novice concept, only a few people could use the internet back then and there were almost negligible content creators but still, there were a lot of content viewers.

Almost all pages of the Web1 were entirely in HTML, and only the information could be encoded. Like every new technology, it was also quite expensive which made them rare for personal purposes. The 1.0 lasted roughly from 1989 to 2005.

Web 1.0 design elements:

Below are the four design elements of Web 1.0:

1. Static pages.

2. The server’s file system is used to serve content.

3. Pages are created through Server Side Includes or the Common Gateway Interface (CGI).

4. The elements on a page are positioned and aligned using frames and tables.

Web 2.0

The internet revolution that occurred after 2004-05 till now, is referred to as web2.0 It is also called the read-write web, because unlike web1.0 which was mainly in a read-only form, web2.0 was designed with features to allow easy use and operability for individuals of all kinds.

People from non-technical backgrounds could also use the internet and content creation gained more traction. Youtube and Facebook could be recalled as the most popular and early web2 platforms. It is web2 that allows people a stage, or a platform to share their ideas and artworks, to interact with the world and avail tools online.

Web 2.0 has five major characteristics

1. Users can recover and classify information jointly when it is sorted freely.

2. Dynamic material that reacts to user input.

3. Through evaluation and online commenting, the flow of information between the site owner and site users.

4. APIs were created to allow self-use, such as by a software program.

5. Web access raises concerns that range from the traditional Internet user base to a broader range of users.

Web 2.0 usage

Many online tools and platforms are available on the social Web to share their viewpoints, thoughts, and experiences. Web 2.0 applications begin to socialise with the end customer much more. As a result, the end-user is still a user of the app and an attendee in the following eight tools:

1. Podcasting

2. Blogging

3. Tagging

4. RSS-based curation

5. Bookmarking on social media

6. Networking on the internet

7. The Internet of Things

8. Voting on web content

What is wrong with Web2.0?

The transition from web1 to web2 seems understandable, web2 offers easier access, more operation, lower costs and a lot of benefits. But what is wrong with web2 that we need to transition into web3?

Well, the recent concerns about data security (or lack thereof) worldwide in lieu of the gross unethical misuse of personal information by major corporates like Facebook (now called Meta) and almost every technological giant (like Google and Amazon) poses a large question on the current model of the internet.

Whenever we surf these websites, they collect our search history, and monitor our internet behaviour and then store all this data on a centralised server to “serve” us better content by employing machine learning algorithms. These algorithms are designed to present us with targeted ads or content which would eventually make us use the websites more, thereby providing more data to the companies.

An easier way of understanding this is that for a long time people believed that every service on the internet is free! What they forgot was the popular saying “if its free, you are probably the product.” And that is precisely the case today with the major corporations like Meta and Google providing us with social media sites and super-fast search engines for free, they are in fact using our data to sell advertisements.

So how is Web3 better?

Given the fact that Web3 is still in its early stages we can’t exactly say for sure if its better. But, Web3 does aim to do away with the issue of data invasion by creating a decentralised and secure internet for people to safely exchange information (or even money) without involving any third parties or companies.

While web2 today treats its users like the product, web3 aims to empower the users by making them content creators. Future DAO (Decentralised Autonomous Organisations) would operate without a CEO or even upper management, and since your digital identity doesn’t have to necessarily be tied with your real identity in web3, users could remain anonymous!

That being said it does seem quite obvious that there could be a lot of downsides to such an environment as well. Anonymity allows people to commit actions without repercussions, as a result of which the internet might just become a worse place to exist than right now.

Added to that the decentralised nature of web3 while empowering, is also questionable because central authorities keep the society in check. There has to be some better initiatives to exert control over the content posted on the web3 without hampering the freedom of speech.

The following are five essential features that can help us define Web 3.0:

1. Semantic Web – The Semantic Web is the next step in the evolution of the Web. The semantic web enhances web innovations in demand for creating, sharing, and connecting content via query and retrieval based on understanding the meaning of words rather than search terms or numbers.

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Using this capability in conjunction with natural language processing, computers in Web 3.0 can differentiate information like human beings to provide faster and more accurate results. They become much more intelligent in order to meet the needs of users.

3. Graphics in three dimensions – In Web 3.0, three-dimensional design is commonly used in sites and services. 3D graphics are used in various applications, including exhibition guides, computer games, e-commerce, and geo-spatial contexts.

4. Connectivity – Because of semantic metadata, information is more attached in Web 3.0. As a result, the user experience evolves to a higher level of communication that uses all available data.

5. Ubiquity – Application programs can access the information, every device is connected to the internet, and the facilities can be used anywhere.

Web1 vs Web2 vs Web3

Let us see the comparison between Web 1.0 vs Web 2.0 vs Web 3.0

1. Technologies Associated with:

Web 1.0 is associated with the following technologies:

  • Web and File Servers
  • Portals for Content and Enterprise
  • Search Engines (including AltaVista and Yahoo!)
  • Email accounts (Yahoo!, Hotmail)
  • Peer-to-Peer File Sharing (Napster, BitTorrent)
  • Technologies for Publishing and Subscription

Web 2.0 is associated with the following technologies:

  • Frameworks for Ajax and JavaScript
  • Adobe Flex
  • Microsoft.NET Framework, Enterprise Java (Server side)
  • Blogs
  • Wikis
  • IM (instant messaging)

Web 3.0 is associated with the following technologies:

  • Searching Using Semantics
  • Databases of Information
  • Ontologies
  • Intelligent Digital Personal Assistants

2. Features

Features of web 1.0 are:

  • Page hyperlinking and bookmarking
  • There is no communication between the server and the user.
  • Static websites existed.
  • It only allowed for content browsing.

Features of web 2.0 are:

  • Improved interaction.
  • Functions such as video streaming, online documents, and so on are included.
  • Web applications are being introduced.
  • Everything goes online and is saved on servers.

Features of web 3.0 are:

  • Web-based and intelligent
  • functionalities and applications
  • A synthesis of web technology and knowledge
  • Reprographics (KR)

3. Definition (According to Burners-Lee)

Web 1.0 is considered read-only while web 2.0 is read-write and web 3.0 is read-write-execute

4. Usage years

Web 1.0 was common between 1990-2000 while web 2.0 in 2000-2010 and web 3.0 is 2010-2020.

5. Connected Websites

Web 1.0 was connected with CNN only while web 2.0 with Flickr, youtube and blogger and web 3.0 with GoogleMaps and My Yahoo!

6. Types of web

Web 1.0 is simply web while web 2.0 is social web and web 3.0 is semantic web.

Web 3.0’s Potential and Drawbacks

1. Web 3.0 has the possibility to provide far greater utility to users, going far beyond the vast bulk of Web 2.0 applications used by consumers, such as social media, streaming, and internet ordering. Semantic Web, AI, and deep learning capabilities, which are at the heart of Web 3.0, have the potential to greatly expand application in new areas and vastly improve user interaction.

2. Web 3.0’s core features, such as decentralisation and permissionless systems, will also give users far more control over their personal data. This may help limit the practice of data extraction, which refers to information collected from web users without their consent or compensation.

3. The network effects that have allowed technology behemoths to achieve near-monopolies through exploitative advertising and marketing practices.

Conclusion

So, in this article we learnt about blockchain and web3. We also learnt about web1, how it evolved into web2 and why we need web3. But we also discussed while web3 seems to be a better version of web2 is it actually a better version or not.