#01 An Introduction to Web 3.0

Web 3.0, a new buzzword is taking over the Internet nowadays, especially after the metaverse popularity. So flowing with the trend I too started researching about Web 3.0 or Semantic Web a few months back and after finally understanding and having clarity on the basics, I hereby share my knowledge about Web 3.0 with you guys. This article is going to be an introductory session for all those who don't know what Web 3.0 actually is and how did its previous versions evolve over the years.

Before understanding what Web 3.0 actually is let's first take a look at its history. Right from the invention of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners Lee in 1989 to the evolution of Web 3 up to date. Basically, the history of the Web is divided into three parts or generations which are: Web 1.0, Web 2.0(Social Web), and Web 3.0(Semantic/ Decentralised Web). Let's take a look at all three of them one by one.

Web 1.0 :

Heading back to the days when Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989, the term Web 1.0 didn't exist. This term is used to classify some websites today which have very low static user experience which was common during those days. But what actually does the term "low static user experience" mean? It actually means the sites which had only a read-only user-based interface, during those days content creators were too less as compared to the content consumers. Only a few authorities/companies were allowed to edit the content on the web and it too was just limited to sharing articles or their products. Of course, the most growing industry over the web was E-commerce, their main goal was to display or present their products to potential customers, something similar to what a catalog does today.

So as we have now a clear picture of what Web 1.0 actually is let's take a look at its demerits which led to the introduction to its higher or a better version. As discussed Web 1.0 had a read-only interface and content creators were limited this eventually created a barrier of opportunities. People developed an urge of contributing to the Web and they also saw the Web as a medium where they can share their views, data, and anything along with showcasing their talent/skills to the world. This led to an introduction to a better version of the Web which was eventually called "Web 2.0" or "The Social Web".

Web 2.0 :

“Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as a platform, and any attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.”–?Tim O’Reilly

Around 2005 a new form of Web started taking shape and people called this "The Social Web".The main goal of this version was to make the Web more participative and interactive. The idea was to change the way in which the web was designed and used by the user without bringing any specific technical changes. Examples of Web 2.0 include hosting websites like Google Maps/Adsense, social media sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. Web 2.0 means moving some thinking on the client-side and so making it more immediate. People can now collaborate on websites, find a medium to express their needs, show their skills, promote and advertise their products, watch and enjoy entertainment on their own devices. The technical benefits of Web 2 include classification and segregation of content, development of API, more dynamic representation of content and information, can send and receiving content overseas, and can access content on different devices and multimedia consoles at the very same moment.

But, eventually, this too came out with some major issues and led to the development of Semantic Web/Web 3.0. Out of these issues, the most highlighted ones are the overload of data, lack of security and privacy, and monopoly of a few companies over everyone's data. Taking a look at the technical demerits the advertisement is more interactive based, the type of applications are just Web applications based on AJAX and JavaScript and has no source for a 3D interface. Therefore as users and applications are getting mature a need for more trustworthy and more safe systems led to the introduction of Web 3.0 or Semantic Web.

Web 3.0 :

"Web 3 is a reimagination of the sorts of things that we are already using the web for, but with a different model for interactions"- Gravin Wood

The leap from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 is a great step as the whole system of backend and infrastructure is going through a transition. Semantic Web, this generation of the Internet uses an advanced metadata system that structures and arranges all kinds of data in such a way that it’s readable by both machines and humans. The idea of Web 3 is to provide a better and safe mode of interaction and transaction. How? for example communication over it takes place over encrypted channels and only with pseudonymous identities as endpoints and never with traceable IP addresses.

Technically, the data on Web 3 is owned by each individual entity and shared through a network. Web 3 also requires HTML and JavaScript to run into browsers but the backend of systems is built with AI Decentralized Technologies (blockchain). Basically, the logic of the server is providing a Read Request whenever the user wants to interact with the client. The request is processed by a node from a blockchain network. The difference created here is that data updates here are in form of Transactions (we will understand about it in the next articles). Then the network determines if the Transaction is valid only if a valid Digital Signature is provided. Also, Web 3 provides a feature of a 3-D Graphical Interface. The advertising over here is more behavioral-based as it uses smart applications that leverage AI and ML which obviously are way better than today's web applications. So, the whole idea of Web 3 is based on the decentralization of the system.

Eventually, Web 3 has started spreading its roots and the issues related to them provide a great opportunity to contribute to its development. It won't take long when we can use fully scalable and functional dApps(decentralized apps) on every device.

I hope now you all are well known for what actually the story of the Web is and what Web3.0 means. I will be posting more such articles in a row land we will dive deeper into the concepts of Web 3 and Blockchain Development. Concluding this article I appreciate yog your time to this piece of content and I hope this article added value to your knowledge. And if you are interested in contributing and learning with me I am open for discussions on any platform.

Thank you.

Rutwik Kute.