We live in a digitized and often automated world, mostly thanks to the conception of Web 2.0, the second iteration of the internet. Although many refer to the general World Wide Web as "the internet," the reality is that the internet has seen such a revolution that its growth is categorized by its three significant stages of evolution: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and what the technology sector considers to be the future -- Web3.0.
Each iteration of the internet has been categorized by what they enable and their fluidity. To best understand the prevalence of these stages, consider how Web 2.0 is more fluid than Web 1.0, and how Web 3.0 is projected to be more fluid than Web 2.0.
Where We Are Now: Web 3.0
Web 3.0 is the newest iteration of the internet and will improve upon the fluidity of Web 2.0 by allowing more businesses and industries to integrate with the web-based business model.
Three concepts that are fundamental to Web 3.0 are decentralization, transparency, and utility.
Decentralization
Decentralization is the move away from hierarchal central authorities who have the power to dictate access to something and control its supply. Decentralization combats monopolization by ensuring there is no single point of control, allowing for open and permissionless participation.
Transparency
Transparency is fundamental to Web 3.0 because, oftentimes with new technologies, their development is controlled by an exclusive group of individuals. However, if new tech was developed publicly, maximum participation and experimentation would be inspired.
Utility
Utility is the third core aspect of Web 3.0 as this iteration of the internet seeks to provide users with more use cases than ever before. From the blockchain to autonomous vehicles, to e-learning and training programs like Userve RBS training online, to completely remote production processes, Web 3.0 can deliver more efficient transactional and education services than ever before.
The First Version: Web 1.0
Web 1.0 introduced the world to the webpage and browser format. With Web 1.0, an individual could use a browser to search and gain access to a webpage containing the information they sought. However, webpages in Web 1.0 were static and isolated, making it a longer process for A browser to retrieve webpage data from a server.
Web 1.0 infrastructure restricted the speeds at which information could travel, making the communication of data between points in a network slow.
An internet is an interconnected digital communications network of computers within a given geographical area. The computers in this network transmit data to one another via nodes which are points of connection in the network. Think of a node as a central point where data arrives and is sorted before reaching its intended destination. The larger a network, the more nodes are needed to support it and the longer it can take for data to be processed and transmitted.
Holistically, the internet is a global network made up of all computers in the world and the sum of their communication.
The Second Iteration: Web 2.0
Web 2.0 proved more fluid than Web 1.0 because of the use cases it yielded for real-world users regarding digital interactivity. For example, the creation of mobile internet access and social media platforms allowed for never-before-seen ways of digital interaction. This exponentially contributed to the growth and adoption of Web 2.0.
Benefits of Web 2.0: Increased Interaction
The rise of smartphones made it significantly easier for people to access the internet from virtually anywhere. Constant access to mobile applications made it possible to not only view information instantly, but also to connect with others through the interactions facilitated by platforms like Facebook, Uber, and Airbnb.
Web 2.0 marked the beginning of the era in which, with the use of a mobile app, individuals could conduct business, set terms surrounding the exchange of goods, build relationships, acquire properties, currencies, and more. These visceral and tangible interactions have become aggregated and digitized into the ethos because of Web 2.0.
Problems of Web 1.0: Too Many Nodes
The problem with Web 1.0 in the early 90s was that supporting the internet as a global communications network between all computers meant having a ridiculous number of nodes. So many in fact, that it drastically reduced the speeds at which the computers within the network could communicate with one another. This impaired how quickly users could gain access to the information they sought on those isolated web pages.
As computing power improved and the Web 1.0 infrastructure slowly transitioned to support faster communication speeds between computers in the network with fewer nodes, Web 2.0 was able to take form during the early 2000s. Web 2.0 drastically improved upon the fluidity of Web 1.0 through its fostering of interactivity within the internet.
Now, we get to look forward to how Web 3.0 will expand and improve on this even further and eventually pave the way for Web 4.0.
