What is Web 3.0?
Not many people know what Web 3.0 is. A really succinct description and tight enough narrative have yet to emerge, making its definition open to interpretation. Experts are also still arguing over what pertains to Web 3.0 and what will come way in the future.
A quick recap of Web 1.0 and 2.0
People are starting to refer to the Internet in different stages as its capabilities and how we interact with it evolve.
The original Web 1.0 was one-directional. In the early days, people could read stuff online and maybe send an email. Corporations and media broadcast information. People interacted little. Getting a website designed was an extremely lengthy and expensive process.
The current Web 2.0 is characterized by people interacting with websites and each other more. Social media platforms are ruling how people talk to friends and choose products. Getting a website is quick and easy. Anyone can access the web from handhelds.
Web 3.0
Coined by The New York Times reporter John Markoff in 2006, Web 3.0 is the future of the Internet. It will bring about a further shift in how we create and interact with websites and will involve things like the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and 3D graphics and printing (3D).
IoT
If you have a smart refrigerator, Alexa or some other device that connects to the web, you have already used IoT technology. Web 3.0 may as well be called the web of everything and everywhere, as most things around you will be connected online.
Our current infrastructure does not quite support this yet, however. Our devices are too slow and too insecure. No one wants to risk getting their cardiac device hacked into, or losing control of their vehicle while driving.
AI
In Web 3.0, computers will show characteristics of human intelligence, such as decision-making and learning. Companies like Facebook and Google have been using AI for some time already to organise Big Data and optimize advertising.
Talk of it often throws up mentions of the “semantic web”. Which is basically a way information is categorized and stored so that a computer can understand it as well as a human, enabling AI.
3D
Web 3.0 will need more 3D graphics to accompany it. Technologies like Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality will come into play. 3D printing will also step up and become more accessible to all, not just large labs with big budgets.
Final thoughts
There is more marketing hype around Web 3.0 than actual, practical use cases right now. Just like eradicating poverty and decentralizing the world, these things take time to implement. Just like the multitudes of products that claim to use AI and are only backed by an algorithm, Web 3.0 is not everywhere yet. But it will not be too long before it is.
This article is an abridged version of an article originally posted at Coincentral.com (a P27 Partner) under the headline “What is Web 3.0?”.
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