Web 3.0 is expected to be a new paradigm in web interaction. It’s the third generation of internet services for applications and websites focused on utilizing machine-based understanding of data to create a semantic and data driven internet. 

Web 3.0 will change how developers come up with websites and how users interact with websites. With Web 3.0, scientists believe people’s online lives will be smoother, faster and more productive. At New Kind of Network, our disruptive peer-to-peer software network empowers developers with infrastructure, connectivity, and information. Here’s our guide to what you need to know about Web 3.0.

Where did Web 3.0 evolve from?

As a natural progression from Web 2.0, Web 3.0 is a cycle that has taken all the gains made by its predecessor with regard to interacting with the internet and scaled them up resulting in a more connected, intelligent and open web. Web 3.0 is set to bring a transformation where the user moves from the siloed approach to a seamless one. 

Web 3.0 is very different from Web 2.0 which is why many industry pundits feel it deserves its unique name. Web 1.0 is well known as the 1st generation of the web where the primary focus was to build the web processes, infrastructure, and at the same time make it more accessible and commercial. The first generation of the web was used for commercial purposes like advertising brick and mortar businesses. Web 1.0 still exists and is in use mainly in e-commerce websites which are very simple and basic in nature.

Characteristics of Web 1.0

  • Content is derived from the server’s file system
  • Pages were static
  • Tables and frames used to align elements on the page
  • Pages built using Common Gateway Interface or server side includes

The second generation focused on generating internet based services that facilitated online sharing and collaboration. It also made it possible for users to enjoy the internet on their mobile devices. This phase grew the reach of the internet outside the United States making it more accessible globally. Web 2.0 has made the internet more democratic and user accessible. 

Because of this generation, people can make an informed choice following online reviews about a product or service they are looking at. It has allowed people to use tools like podcasting, blogging, web voting, tagging, and social networking which enhance the internet user’s decision making process. 

Characteristics of Web 2.0

  • Permits users to classify and freely sort information
  • The content is dynamic and responsive to users
  • Allows the flow of information between the site owner and the user via comments and other metrics
  • Has incorporated APIs which allow self-usage
  • Allows a variety of user

The third generation allows people to learn even more building upon the second generation. For example, when one buys from Amazon they can see customer reviews but then the website uses an algorithm to suggest similar items that other customers have purchased. This means the website is learning what other customers love and is using it to teach and inform new customers about their options. Web 3.0 makes the website more intelligent which ultimately helps clients to make informed choices.

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Main properties of Web 3.0

Semantic web

It’s believed that Semantic Web could be the route to the golden age of information because it improves web technologies helping to share and connect content. Plus, in the evolution of Semantic Web computers will be able to understand internet data directly. It’ll achieve this by being able to comprehend the meaning behind words and not using numbers or keywords to decode content. As part of Web 3.0, it will make the use of the web more user friendly.

3D Graphics

Web 3.0 relies heavily on three dimensional designs to make websites very interactive. For example, computer games, e-commerce galleries, and museum guides are some examples of 3D graphics on Web 3.0. In fact, Web 3.0 is set to be a three dimensional internet where the use of avatars, virtual reality and augmented reality will be the norm in operations. 

Artificial intelligence

In Web 3.0 computers will have the ability to discern and evaluate information like human beings to provide better, more relevant results. This means the computer has used natural language processing together with artificial intelligence to process information like the user thus meeting the need of the user.

Connectivity

Light show for communication network
Light show for communication network

Web 3.0 will provide the same content across multiple applications and services will be available on different devices accessible from anywhere. This way all the information needed by an organization during its operations is available and can be leveraged from multiple devices across the globe.

Web 3.0 and Blockchain

Blockchain serves as the foundation for Web 3.0 since it fixes most of the issues that are problematic in Web 2.0. Using blockchain powered Web 3.0 users have absolute control and ownership over their data. Data transferred through the network will be encrypted keeping it secure. Blockchain will make the web user-centric which will make it user friendly.

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Best examples of Web 3.0 applications

Apple’s Siri

Web 3.0 is moving the internet forward to the place where using the fingers to communicate will become a thing of the past. Instead, applications like Siri that use voice recognition software are becoming the wave of the future. In fact, voice recognition software is becoming the key component of Web 3.0. 

Siri is the perfect example of where Web 3.0 is taking computer users where their machines will be able to communicate to each other and provide users with better search results. For example, more and more Siri and other personal assistants will be able to give conclusive answers to questions asked by owners instead of the annoying “I don’t know.”

For the longest time, Siri has been accepting very few commands that it can act upon. This includes simple tasks like reminders and directions to the local grocery store. These have been accomplished by pre-programmed algorithms in the iPhone that can only do basic searches of the internet to come up with equally basic answers based on store location. And this is if the store has a website that shows directions clearly otherwise the search results can be misleading. 

However, with Web 3.0 asking Siri how to build a woodshed would yield step by step instructions without having to refer to any website.

Facebook

Even as many are predicted the demise of Facebook because of the transition from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0, this prediction seems to be misleading. After all, the social networking aspect of this social media giant will form the base infrastructure for the way the internet is used. 

The company has been inviting people to create new societies that’ll thrive on Web 3.0. This is their winning strategy as these people who have been invited have ended up creating 300,000 Facebook applications from quizzes and games to digital gifts which have boosted user engagement on the platform.

By providing the Facebook API to developers, the company lets developers stage their quizzes product reviews, and games. As a result, Facebook has guaranteed itself longevity and another reign in Web 3.0. 

Wolfram Alpha

This is a computational intelligence platform where one can compute answers and it is especially used by students and professionals from different fields like mathematics, nutrition and science among others. This platform uses Web 3.0 by gathering information for users from databases on the web and streamlining the information for end users. 

On this platform, one can type in a question and it will interpret the question and yield results relevant to the context of the question. For example, when one types in a generic statement like “two cups of strawberries”, Wolfram Alpha will give you the nutritional value, a number of calories and any other comprehensive information pertaining to two cups of strawberries. In this case, it gives you starting points for further analysis.

For specific questions like “Where is Ecuador?”, it will provide a very specific answer to the question and then go ahead to provide correlated data that can help the user be able intuitively and naturally answer their question in its entirety.

When will it begin?

Web 3.0 has been a long time coming since its prediction back in the 2000s. it can be seen in smart appliances and the Internet of Things but just like Web 2.0 took a while to adapt, Web 3.0 will be gradually adopted into all aspects of the web. 

People will have to see slow changes in the way their computers interact with other machines as Web 3.0 forces users to buy faster machines. It will be a gradual, almost insidious change that many will find themselves having already begun using Web 3.0 without even knowing it.

There is so much speculation around the adoption of Web 3.0 that some have gone so far as to front the idea that the popularity of virtual worlds on Web 3.0 may result in a web based virtual world. But it is important to manage expectations as the evolution of the entire web into a single virtual world with places for people to interact including shopping, buildings and an arcade is technologically not possible at the moment. 

Current manifestations of Web 3.0 include the popularity of internet enabled mobile devices and the merger of home appliances and entertainment systems with the web.

Advantages of Web 3.0

Web 3.0 has the potential to make the internet an always present feature in everyday life. But the main advantages of Web 3.0 include

  • Efficiency in search results
  • Efficiency in browsing for the user as there is better access to information 
  • Change in human interaction with a computer as the end user has complete control over their data by encrypting it
  • Intermediaries like Apple and Google and even governments will no longer have control over data, services or sites
  • Digital assets can be transferred and moved quickly and efficiently leading to the distribution of wealth with no barriers
  • No interruption of services as data is stored in nodes to reduce redundancy.
  • Multiple backs up will eliminate interruptions inflow of data
  • Sharing information will be easier
  • Harder to adopt fake identity online
  • Easier to work on the internet since it can be personalized

Centralized vs. Decentralized

One of the main differences between Web 3.0 and Web 1.0/2.0 is that Web 3.0 is decentralized and Web 1.0/2.0 is centralized. Decentralization provides a way to break free from the monopolies of FAANG (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google) while simultaneously preserving user data ownership and privacy. With Web 1.0 and 2.0, platforms gradually expand in their capability to extract data from users. On the other hand, the collaborative nature of Web 3.0 and participation of independent developers prioritizes user security.

Disadvantages of Web 3.0

  • Only advanced devices will be able to handle Web 3.0 locking out the population that can’t afford such devices
  • Web 3.0 will be complicated for newcomers to grasp the concept
  • Privacy policy will be needed more than with previous web generations
  • It will be easier to find people’s private and personal information
  • Web 1.0 website will seem obsolete rendering them less appealing to customers 
  • People will spend too much time on the internet  
  • Web 3.0 will provide less anonymity so reputation management will be needed more than ever
  • Offers the possibility of mass entertainment which comes with social consequences

Challenges to anticipate in Web 3.0 implementation

Computer keyboard and mouse for web 3.0 implementation

While Web 3.0 sounds great the challenge of implementation is one that must be overcome in order to enjoy the Internet of Things. Some of the challenges include the vastness of the internet which will make it difficult for the computer to read all this data and while eliminating semantically duplicated terms.

Another major challenge is user vagueness which makes it hard for search engines to find the correct answers that users would be looking for. As a result, the application in use will provide general answers.

Another problem that could arise concerns the reliability of the data provided. Artificial intelligence will help to filter out deceptive data but if the data provided created to mislead the computer has no way of knowing this. Also, people may provide inconsistent information which can lead to the wrong analytic result.

According to industry pundits, the world is on the verge of an internet revolution.  Despite the challenges that it bears the change it can bring to everyday life and how people conduct business is incredible. There need to be more practical applications of Web 3.0 for people to truly understand its impact but this will come with time and seamless adoption. For more information, get started with New Kind of Network.

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