The Next Evolution Of Web
WEB 3.0
Web3, also known as Web 3.0, is the next internet revolution where the focus will be on intelligent information accessibility. For instance, search engines in the Web 3.0 era will return personalized insights based on our search context. Centralized servers will be replaced with information present on multiple computing devices. Overall, it will be more of a peer-to-peer internet with no single authority. The following attributes are going to be a part of Web 3.0:
- Contextual Search
- Tailor-made Search
- Personalized Search
- Evolution of 3D Web
- Deductive Reasoning
Difference between Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0
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 the participation of independent developers prioritizes user security.
| Web 1.0 | Web 2.0 | Web 3.0 |
| Mostly Read-Only | Wildly Read-Write | Portable and Personal |
| Company Focus | Community Focus | Individual Focus |
| Home Pages | Blogs / Wikis | Live-streams / Waves |
| Owning Content | Sharing Content | Consolidating Content |
| WebForms | Web Applications | Smart Applications |
| Directories | Tagging | User Behaviour |
| Page Views | Cost Per Click | User Engagement |
| Banner Advertising | Interactive Advertising | Behavioural Advertising |
| Britannica Online | Wikipedia | The Semantic Web |
| HTML/Portals | XML / RSS | RDF / RDFS / OWL |
Web 3.0 examples
Examples of Web 3.0 applications are Wolfram Alpha and Apple’s Siri, which can summarize large amounts of information into knowledge and useful actions for people.
WOLFRAM ALPHA
Wolfram Alpha is a unique engine for computing answers and providing knowledge. It works by using its vast store of expert-level knowledge and algorithms to automatically answer questions, do analysis and generate reports.
Example: Search results Google vs Wolfram Alpha
In the case of Google, the results turn out to be mostly about football games between Brazil and Argentina. Note that the word “football” or “games” were not mentioned in the search.
In Wolfram Alpha, the tool considers that the search is a comparison between two countries and consequently brings organized statistics, historical, geographical (maps), demographic, linguistic, and other useful aspects for comparative analysis.
APPLE SIRI
Apple’s Siri, in turn, uses techniques of speech recognition and artificial intelligence to bring results and perform actions such as:
“Where is the nearest pizzeria?” or “How far am I from the nearest gas station” or “make an appointment at 9:00 am tomorrow.”
Above all, Traditional tools (Web 1.0 and 2.0) make search matching “word by word like” of the text in relation to what is published on the network. In other words, often it brings information bias of what is most abundant ending up not bringing what is most relevant to the user at that time.
Web 3.0 systems, however, seek contextualized knowledge to assist people in their jobs, pointing to a series of analyses and potentially helpful information. One of the distinctions of Web 3.0 search engine, is the time that user need to spend sailing in a sea of information to find what he/she really wants to get solved.
Companies like Apple and IBM have been investing heavily in Web 3.0 technologies, for example, Google Inc. over the past decade has made several acquisitions of companies in the Semantic Web area, such as Applied Semantics and Meta Web Technologies, Inc, among others.
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 a fake identity online.
- Easier to work on the internet since it can be personalized.
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 concepts.
- The 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 websites 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.
Research Perspective of Web 3.0
The following are the features of Web 3.0 that can be considered from a research perspective to explore further.
Decentralization: This is a core tenet of Web 3.0. In Web 2.0, computers use the HTTP protocol in the form of unique web addresses to find information, which is stored at a fixed location generally on a single server. With Web 3.0, because the information would be found based on its content, it could be stored in multiple locations simultaneously and hence be decentralized. This would break down the massive databases that are currently held by the internet giants like Facebook (now Meta) and Google, and prevent their undue enrichment by handing greater control to users. With Web 3.0, the data generated by disparate and increasingly powerful computing resources including mobile phones, desktops, appliances, vehicles, and sensors will be sold by users through decentralized data networks, ensuring that users retain ownership control.
Trustless and Permissionless: In addition to decentralization and being based upon open-source software, Web 3.0 will also be “trustless” (i.e., the network will allow participants to interact directly without going through a trusted intermediary) and “permissionless” (meaning anyone can participate without authorization from a governing body). As a result, Web 3.0 applications will either run on blockchains or decentralized peer-to-peer networks or a combination thereof such decentralized apps are referred to as d-apps.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning: In Web 3.0, computers will be able to understand information like humans, through technologies based upon Semantic Web concepts and natural language processing. Web 3.0 will also use machine learning, which is a branch of AI that uses data and algorithms to imitate the way that humans learn, gradually improving its accuracy. These capabilities will enable computers to produce faster and more relevant results in a host of areas like drug development and new materials, as opposed to merely targeted advertising that forms the bulk of current efforts.
Connectivity and Ubiquity: With Web 3.0, information and content are more connected and ubiquitous, accessed by multiple applications and with an increasing number of everyday devices connected to the Web—an example being the Internet of Things.
References
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/web-1-0-web-2-0-and-web-3-0-with-their-difference/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web3
https://www.investopedia.com/web-20-web-30-5208698
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