What is Web 3.0?
Web 3.0 is coming — but what is it, and where did Web 1.0 and 2.0 go?
In this article we will talk about the web 3.0 and try to give an overview of what it is and why it’s important.
Imagine a new type of internet that not only accurately interprets what you input, but actually understands everything you convey, whether through text, voice or other media, one where all content you consume is more tailored to you than ever before. We are at the tipping point of a new phase in the web’s evolution which has been dubbed Web 3.0.
But what exactly is Web 3.0, what will it look like and how will it change our lives?
What is Web 3.0?
Web 3.0 is the upcoming third generation of the internet where websites and apps will be able to process information in a smart human-like way through technologies like machine learning (ML), Big Data, decentralised ledger technology (DLT), etc. Web 3.0 was originally called the Semantic Web by World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, and was aimed at being a more autonomous, intelligent, and open internet.
The Web 3.0 definition can be expanded as follows: data will be interconnected in a decentralised way, which would be a huge leap forward to our current generation of the internet (Web 2.0), where data is mostly stored in centralised repositories.
Furthermore, users and machines will be able to interact with data. But for this to happen, programs need to understand information both conceptually and contextually. With this in mind, the two cornerstones of Web 3.0 are semantic web and artificial intelligence (AI).
Web 3.0 and the Blockchain.
As Web 3.0 networks will operate through decentralised protocols, the founding blocks of blockchain and cryptocurrency technology. We can expect to see a strong convergence and symbiotic relationship between these three technologies and other fields. They will be interoperable, seamlessly integrated, automated through smart contracts and used to power anything from micro transactions in Africa, censorship-resistant P2P data file storage and sharing with applications like Filecoin, to completely changing the ways companies conduct and operate their business. The current slew of Defi Protocols are just the tip of the iceberg.
Web 3.0 Applications.
A common requirement for a Web 3.0 application is the ability to digest large-scale information and turn it into factual knowledge and useful executions for users. With that being said, these applications are still at their early stages, which means that they have a lot of room for improvement and are a far cry from how Web 3.0 apps could potentially function.
Some of the companies that are building or have products that they are transforming into Internet 3.0 applications are Amazon, Apple and Google. One example of an application that will utilise Web 3.0 technologies in the future is Siri.
In Summary.
The new internet will provide a more personal and customised browsing experience, a smarter and more human-like search assistant, and other decentralised benefits that are hoped will help to establish a more equitable web. This will be achieved by empowering each individual user to become a sovereign over their data, and creating a richer overall experience thanks to the myriad of innovations that is to come once it is in place.
When Web 3.0 inevitably arrives, as hard as it is to fathom and considering how smart devices have already changed our behavioural patterns. The internet will become exponentially more integrated in to our daily lives.
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