What is WEB 3.0?

Internet – quite a familiar phrase in our daily lives because in recent times, almost our whole existence revolves around this world of the net. This single term is surrounding a whole universe in itself. The Internet is considered to be the greatest human invention of all time and the full credit must be given where it is due – to computer scientists Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn who invented the Internet Communication Protocols that all of us use today and the system named ‘internet’. Since computers communicate through telephone wires or satellite links and are connected by an ordinary software called Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) and from this very place the term “internet” has been coined, which means interconnected networks or inter-networks.

This worldwide network of billions of interconnected computers and other systems or gadgets is single-handedly in charge of influencing the masses every day and to such an extent that today the internet has become an inextricable, undisputable, and in all likelihood the most consequential part of our lives. It will be inappropriate and restraining to claim that we are still living in the real world because that is not certainly right. With the advent of the internet, virtuality had started to gallop us in many ways, since long back. The internet has obscured the margin between reality and virtual space. With adopting eras, people have accepted this change as their life’s integral part and now a day without the internet seems impossible to even imagine. In the meantime just like our lives even the internet is a witness to several changes since its birth. From being limited to a fixed number of devices to becoming an omnipresent virtual establishment, the internet has truly evolved in many ways and forms. And it continues to do so with every passing day. 

Yet recently, another new evolution named Web 3.0 has got the whole web world excited with its characteristics and the new information that Web 3.0 is going to leave an impact on the digital world. Hence, here is everything everyone needs to know about this new jargon.

The Web History

During the early days when the internet (Web 1.0 and 2.0) was in its preliminary form, it was not as interdependent, extensive, and worldwide as it is in the 21st century. In the era of 60s and 70s, if visualized as a concept then the computer networking was restricted only to research purposes and its materialistic appeal application was virtually prohibited.

Web 1.0: The forerunner of the contemporary internet was a military computer network known as the ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Networks). ARPANET was a developing and long awaited network that was funded by the United States Department of Defense Traffic. In the electronic highway, MILNET (Military Network) was the name given to that part of the ARPANET which was appointed for the assorted U.S. Department of Defense Traffic. In 1983, MILNET was physically separated from the ARPANET. It is also known as the Military Net. ARPANET was considered to be the first and foremost fully developed working paradigm of the contemporary internet. In the later days, whatever evolution or improvements have been made in ARPANET were more scholastic in nature. With each passing day as more and more educational institutions were connected to the ARPANET, it slipped on a tentacle-like arrangement. And till today, the internet is holding the exact same form although being on a much wider scale. The name that was given to the very first reiteration of the present day internet is Web 1.0. Web 1.0 is the first generation of the Internet and was elementarily read-only in nature where the web pages were most of the times connected by hyperlinks and the customers cannot really do anything else. Web 1.0 mainly used to exhibit content to the user but it was ultimately not possible for them to have a conversation with the websites. In this way, the web pages were more or less like the digital documents displayed on the screen and the main programming language at that time was HTML.

Web 2.0: It is the second era of internet networks. Since web 1.0 was read-only, many contents on the web were written offline. The era of web 1.0 is also known as the era of stable web pages. But as change is the only constant thing and evolution used to lie in the nature of the internet, it was certainly unavoidable. The term web 2.0 was first brought into the working by the well-known web designer and expert in user experience and also an author, Darcy DiNucci in 1999 and that marked the beginning of the kind and features of the internet we use today. Web 2.0 signifies the internet of this era which is rapid, extensive, bilateral, and way ahead of web 1.0. It is the encouragement of web 2.0 which has encouraged users to come out from the shells of indifference and become active participants in providing content. Earlier in the 2000s, when the internet boom or dot-com boom was already close by, various publishing programs such as WordPress and other social media sites like Facebook and Twitter were so far becoming popular among the newer generation of the purchasers of Internet. The internet is now available in almost every corner of this planet and the content that users get is all the more so, diverse and interchangeable in nature. In the era of the 2000s, new technologies like RSS (Really Simple Syndication – a web feed allowing the users and applications to access updates to websites in normalized and adaptive format) and AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript And XML – a reference to an open source programming software for building up applications and websites) made their arrivals and enabled the users in interacting with the websites. And it was exactly the same time that the forums came into existence and social networks had started to appear on the web. Web 2.0 was able to present content based on the queries of the users and meet their needs which ended up making the world more connected.

About Web 3.0

It is the third generation of Internet service providers for websites and web applications that will come together in utilizing a computer-based apprehension of information and knowledge, in order to give information and component-based and connotation websites. One of the most definite objectives of Web 3.0 network is to make a variety of more smart, associated and open sites. 

Since web 3.0 has not yet been finalized in the market, there is no strong or exact definition to describe the functioning or changes of the network. With the help of extensive follow ups and research, it was found out that the progression from web 1.0 to web 2.0 took almost ten years, and further also, the implementation and reassembling of the web with web 3.0 might take the similar tenure of ten years, if not longer. But in few cases, the advancements or improvements which might be accepted by few people will make up the characterizations of web 3.0 which has been created just for the present moment. There are two occurrences of how the web 3.0 is presently affecting the innovation are- first, excellent machines at homes utilizing faraway organizations and second the Internet of Things (IoT).

On the occasion of little chances, the progress pattern that is followed from web 1.0, a steady and constant data supplier where users read websites yet intermittently interfaced with them, to web 2.0 which is an instinctive and social platform empowering harmonized efforts among each and every client. And now, at this point it is quite expected from Web 3.0 that it will change the patterns of both how websites or web feeds are made and how individuals communicate with them. It has probably been heard or experienced beforehand that the term “web 3.0” is sliding throughout the web world. Essentially, web 3.0 is the new era of development and enhancement of the web world. The progressions that web 3.0 is introducing to the web world is undoubtedly going to take it to an unmatched and higher level. The PC researchers and Internet specialists wholeheartedly accept that these advancements will make the web world more intelligent and the lives of people very much simpler. In this way, being aware of the changes and to understand and decipher every kind of further outward changes, a gander step should initially be taken for the development of the web world.

Properties of Web 3.0

There are certainly four main properties of the web 3.0 network. They are –

• To comprehend the keenness and modulations of web 3.0, it is vital to take a glimpse at the properties and characteristics of Semantic Web
• Reasonings and surmising which are man-made
• 3D Graphics
• It is prevalent and penetrating in nature

Pros and Cons of the Web 3.0

Like every other thing in the web world or daily life, even web 3.0 has certain advantages and disadvantages concluded from the little bit of advancements and shaping up, which might give an insight to the users into the functioning and evolving abilities of web 3.0.

Advantages –

• Connecting expanded data of semantic web that will be of great help in the network of digital information.
• Experienced scrutinizing
• Betterment and improvement in display.
• More extensive and high-yielding chasing of the web.
• Enthralling resemblances.
• Change in the human confederation.
• More specific search results which are also sufficient to meet the needs of the users.
• With web 3.0, working on the web becomes much more simple and easier as the internet is customized.
• Information and knowledge sharing is very easy in web 3.0.

Disadvantages –

• Gadgets or machines that are less upgraded will not be having the choice to deal with or manage the web 3.0.
• The web sites of Web 1.0 will probably appear to be considerably more outdated or less progressed
• Web 3.0 tends to be extraordinarily bewildering for the new users to comprehend or understand.
• Proper or suitable technology has still not yet been created for the web 3.0 altogether.
• Through web 3.0 it is easier to get user’s all kinds of information, be it public or private.
• Users are expected to spend more time surfing the internet.
• Privacy and security policies are required.

The Assumed Future of the Internet Web 3.0

Observing the present situation and keeping in mind the current duplication of the web world, it has been comprehended that the web world is still seeing many advancements and developments with each passing day. As the modern and advanced technologies are gradually paving the way towards building up high-yielding and hyper-intelligent machines and independent environments, the internet is also not lagging much behind the race. Experienced and high-ranked persons suggest that the next version of the internet will be more cosmopolitan, knowledgeable and intelligent in nature than the present version of the internet people are using. The famous computer scientist, Tim Berners Lee had tagged web 3.0 as the ‘Semantic Web’. 

According to the trends in the modern technology landscape, it is proved that Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are two topics that are the latest topics of debate-or-discussion. And web 3.0 exactly targets on incorporating the above two mentioned technologies including some other advanced technologies as well and make this web 3.0 the most advanced and well nurtured internet site ever. As mentioned earlier already, the motive behind this strategy is to become more intelligent in providing the most relevant and accurate results to the searches of the users, to be a self-governing system with any head or authority as such and with an open and broader scope.

How is Web 3.0 Going to Impact the Digital World

There have been a number of conclusions drawn over the much anticipated fact that is the nature of the next evolutionary version or advanced stage of the internet which the users are going to use. According to some people, the upcoming updated version is going to change the way individuals interact, behave or communicate with the web world, while some of the people decide on the updates or changes to be more principle oriented than being practical or basic. But no matter how many predictions or conclusions people might make, the one thing that is for sure will be happening is that the upcoming generation of the internet or sites will basically be:

1. Open/Transparent in Nature
2. Not trustworthy Enough
3. Decentralized or Dispersed

In order to get a better understanding regarding web 3.0, the above mentioned points must be thoroughly analyzed, as below: 

1. Open/Transparent in Nature:

One of the major determining features of web 3.0 is how and in what ways it will be a full on open network. The openness makes it certain that the programs format in web 3.0 are built using open-source or non-proprietary software, which means that the programming code is available to and accessible by an open and transparent community of developers on the internet. Also, the classification and the evolution of these free open-source programs will be completed in a transparent manner. The open nature of web 3.0 also involves the fact that each and every non-proprietary solutions or open-source programs are nothing but just virtual resources that should be made available to anyone who is looking to purchase their own satisfactions.

• No trustworthy Enough:

This idea of a trustless network or a network that is not trustworthy for the users is not new in the web world. If there are any so-called “trusted” third parties then they are immediately excluded from any kind of virtual undertakings or interchanges and this has long been an in-demand ideology. Taking into consideration the fact that theft of data is a constant and major matter of concern among the internet users all across the globe, trusting any third party blindly with the user’s data does not seem the right thing to do. Such trustless networks make it sure that no mediators can intervene in any type of online interchanges or undertakings. A prime and very close example of truthfulness is the ultra-famous ‘blockchain technology’. Blockchain Technology is the most commonly used tech in transactions including digital currencies. It designates a compact settlement according to which, only the individuals who are taking part in a transaction are connected in a peer-to-peer way where no other intermediary body or party is included.

• Decentralized or Dispersed:

Since the advent of social media, life has changed drastically. The daily life of every individual revolves around social media platforms and vice versa. They enjoy expansive popularity and limelight nowadays. And considerably, it also allows the users to get connected with old friends or acquaintances as well as new people every other day and interact with them overcoming every type of geographical limitations. But organisations that own social media platforms are very few in numbers if counted properly. And these few firms or organisations are the ones who hold the information of millions of people. As concerning as it may sound, this is one of the facts of this web world. This is just one of the many examples of how organisations or corporations own the data of the users and utilize them for some unrevealed and unthinkable motives. Decentralization or dispersing is an idea which aims in deducting this consolidation of data by making sure alternatives that will dethrone the gatekeepers of the web. Eminent personalities say that web 3.0 is going to put forward the entire concept of decentralization all by itself. The user data will be stored at multiple places on the internet which will be under tight security. This will terminate any kind of data loss or privacy hacking threats and also break the massive data storehouse containing the data.

The Bottom Line

As from the above discussion and taking into consideration the recent trends on the Internet, it can be clearly concluded that web 3.0 is the next stage in the evolution of the internet. The actual roots of this evolution have already been laid down. As speculated as a hyper-intelligent network that has the capacity of comprehending information like a human being, web 3.0 is surely going to be a huge jump in the field of network technology as per the present standards and trends. Besides the technological wonders that web 3.0 has committed to, it also puts forward the application of certain ideologies and concepts which will drastically change the current methodologies of today’s network channels. And we the people as the end-users will step into a new period of networking, something that will further more or less erase the existing lines between the real world and the digital space.