Before we dive into the sea of knowledge about Web 3.0, let us have a brief look at the core basics of the web, and something about web 1.0 and 2.0.

What is the web? It refers to the World Wide Web (www), which is the core information retrieval and extraction system. Using three Was as an initialism preface helps users access a website through the web address, and is one of the first characters typed in the browser address bar of web browsers when users are searching for something specific online.

Tim Berners-Lee, an internet pioneer at one time, is credited with coining the term World Wide Web (WWW) as a reference to the global web of information and resources which are connected to each other via hypertext links.

Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 are the successive iterations of the original web 1.0 of the 1990s. Web 1.0 went up to the early 2000s and was replaced by the existing version Web 2.0 (which is often referred to as the web). Web 3.0 represents its next phase.

Some initial thoughts surrounding Web 3.0

A lot of people are wondering what the so-called new era of the internet will be like? Is web 3.0 a buzz jargon? Or will it really change the world? How will independent creatives and small businesses react to its emergence?

How will web 3.0 change the online presence of most businesses and the way they interact with their respective target audiences, ranging from making a website to branding and marketing, and vice versa?

A lot is to be known about web 3.0. Experts, proponents, and critics alike are already talking about the optimism, associated technologies, potential benefits and possible shortcomings as well as the hazards surrounding Web 3.0. A lot of brands and industries have started implementing some key basic components of Web 3.0. Many of them leverage the power of Web3 marketing as it allows them to better understand consumers’ demands and preferences and develop more personalized experiences for them.

Let us now have a much clearer look at what Web 3.0 is, how it is evolving our internet, what are its defining qualities and how it impacts the online world.

Introducing Web 3.0

Though Web 3.0 has not arrived as a complete package, experts will be discussing the work in progress of the internet infrastructure which will come with web 3.0. As per its proponents, it is no doubt touted as the internet of the future. It hopes to provide a much more customized, intelligent and self-sufficient browsing experience compared to what users today know and understand.

The term web3 was coined by Ethereum’s co-founder Gavin Wood in 2014. The term is based on a concept which Tim Berners-Lee popularized, known as ‘The Semantic Web’ or ‘Web 3.0’. In an interview he gave on Wired, Mr. Wood summed up web3’s vision as Less trust and more truth.

What does web3 (Web 3.0) promise?

Web3 promises to use Blockchain technology for making an internet ecosystem which is decentralized. This creates a lot of interest within the business sector. The NYT reported that last year, Venture Capital firms invested around USD$ 27 billion into projects related to crypto and much of that went toward making web3.

Even the consumer friendly brands have embraced the hype and fanfare surrounding web3. They are going for it.

The role of brands and platforms in adopting Web 3.0

Reddit is reportedly readying itself for cryptocurrency technology by making Karma Points as crypto tokens on its platform. Recently Nike acquired digital fashion brand RTKFT, putting it among the fashion brands ready for digital transformation.

However for each optimist present, some cynics and naysayers have somehow balanced the hype. Web3 is yet to be implemented, and no one can either testify to its successes or failures. Some familiar applications have already made web3 (Web 3.0) somehow a tangible concept. Following the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is ready to welcome the next generation of the internet.

A bit about Web 1.0

Web 1.0 was the earliest version of the internet and it is considered to be read-only or syntactic web. A majority of the participants were content consumers, and the makers were usually web developers making websites with material delivered primarily either in text or graphic format. It existed from 1991 to 2004.

Websites on web 1.0 delivered static material instead of dynamic hypertext mark-up language (HTML) material. Data and content were supplied from a static file system instead of a database. Interaction on suich web bases was minimal.

A bit about Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is basically a paradigm shift in the way the internet is being used. Within the previous 15-20 years, the webpages of Web 1.0 got replaced by interactive web pages offering social connectivity and user-0generated content (which is hence web 2.0).

It made it possible for user-generated content to be viewed by millions around the world in an instant. Such a reach led to more expansion and expulsion of such content in recent years.

The exponential growth of Web 2.0 was driven by innovations, especially social networks, mobile internet access and the prevalence of mobile devices powered by Android and iOS of both Google and Apple respectively.

We all are in the third decade of the new millennium. In the ending years of the previous decade, the dominance of mobile apps which helped amplify online interaction and internet utilization. Airbnb, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Uber, WhatsApp and YouTube are among the apps that have improved the landscape.

Such phenomenal growth in terms of users, revenue and subscriptions these platforms brought about has made a lot of companies using Web 2.0, namely Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, and Netflix, become the world’s largest companies in terms of market capitalization.

The gig economy grew thanks to these apps, and they enabled more than a million people to earn income either part time or full time through driving, renting their homes to tourists, delivering food, groceries and other items, and selling goods and services online.

Web 2.0 has disrupted certain industries to the point that it became an existential threat to some. These sectors have either failed to adapt to the new web-centric business model, or were slow in adapting to it. Advertising, entertainment, media and retail were the hardest hit.

The core features of Web 3.0

Compiled by experienced professionals of web design and development from an agency of web design Dubai , here are the core features of Web 3.0 (web3) which are worth noting:

Semantic Web

The next evolution of the web involves the Semantic Web. It improves the abilities of web technologies to create, share, and connect content via search and analysis through understanding the meaning of words instead of using keywords or numbers.

Artificial Intelligence

Through combining semantic capabilities with natural language processing, computers can understand information on the level of humans, which results in provision of faster and relevant results. This makes them more intelligent and helps satisfy the needs of users.

Three-dimensional (3D) graphics

Three-Dimensional (3D) design is used extensively in websites as well as apps and services in web 3.0. Among the products and services utilizing this are Museum guides, eCommerce sites, apps & portals, computer games, geospatial contexts and vice versa.

Improved Connectivity

With the aid of web 3.0, information is much more connected thanks to Semantic metadata. This helps evolve the user experience into a new level of connectivity which influences all information available.

Web 3.0 is all present

Internet based content and services can be accessed anywhere at any time of the day through various devices instead of exclusive access via phones and computers. Web 2.0 is already all present but the growth of IoT devices will take it to new levels.

The prominence of Blockchain

Blockchain will help protect user data and encrypt it. It prevents large companies from controlling as well as prevents use of personal data of users from being wrongly used. If you also have a good cloud management prepared, your data can be safe from all types of attacks.

Decentralized in nature

Decentralized data networks store data within a peer-to-peer based interconnection. Users can maintain ownership of their data and digital assets. Moreover, they are also able to securely log-in over the internet without being tracked.

The advent of Edge Computing

Web 3.0 relies on the advance of edge computing where apps and data are processed at the network edge on devices such as mobile phones, laptops, sensors, appliances as well as automobiles.

Conclusion

Web 3.0 is now a reality and it is cognitive technology that is making it all possible. Understanding language is key to multiple dimensions of the web. Creation of semantics and natural language processing components and fitting them in the core of Web 3.0 has laid the foundation towards endless possibilities.