What is Web3? The Decentralized Internet of the Future Explained
If you’re reading this then you are a participant in the modern web. The web we are experiencing today is much different than what it was just 10 years ago. How has the web evolved, and more importantly- where is it going next? Also why do any of these things matter?
If history has taught us anything, these changes will matter a lot. In this article, I will lay out how the web has evolved, where it’s going next, and why it matters.
Think about how the internet affects your life on a daily basis. How about hourly? Think about how the internet has affected you- your loved ones, your pets- think about it. Consider how society has changed as a result of the internet. Now stop thinking about it- wait now think about it again. Social Media Platforms. Mobile apps. Flappy Bird. And Now the internet is going through another Paradigm shift as we speak- well I mean, as you read this. Probably.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE WEB
The web has evolved a lot over the years, and the applications of it today are unrecognizable from its most early days. The evolution of the web is often portioned into three separate stages: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0. How do I know this? I’m obviously from the future. After Web 3.0 the internet doesn’t exist. We don’t really use numbers anymore either, so it gets a little confusing.
WHAT IS WEB 1.0?
Web 1.0 was the first iteration of the web. If you didn’t know that- you idiot. Most participants were consumers of content- much like most participants are in this hellhole of a Late-stage capitalist’s wetdream.
The creators of the yummy consumable content were typically developers who built websites that contained information served up mainly in text or image format.
Web 1.0 lasted approximately from 1991 to 2004. How do we know it ended in 2004? January 27th, 2004 – Usher, Lil Jon and Ludacris won a Grammy for their single “Yeah!”.
You can think of Web 1.0 as the read-only web. You can also think of it as the only-read web. It’s also referred to as the web-only read.
WHAT IS WEB 2.0?
Most of us have primarily experienced the web in its current form, commonly referred to as web2, or Web Dos as the cool kids call it. And of course, most of us have experienced web2, because I’m omniscient and know what you have primarily experienced- also you’re a pervert.
In the wicked web2 world homie, you don’t have to be a developer to participate in the creation process. Many apps are built in a way that easily allows you to upload photos of your children, your pets, your loved-ones and feed the giant algorithms that allow Mark Zuckerberg to train his face rig.
If you want to craft a thought and share it with the world, you can! Nobody will give a shit, but you can do it. If you want to upload a video and allow millions of people to see it, interact with it, and comment on it, you can’t- it’s too late for that, you should have been an early adopter of YouTube you dumb shit.
The web in its current form is really great in many ways- so numerous- I won’t even mention how, but there are some areas we can do a lot better.
WEB DOS MONETIZATION AND SECURITY
In the web2 world, also shortened to the w2w, many popular apps are following a common pattern in their life cycles. Think of some of the apps that you use on a daily basis, and how the following examples might apply to them- or don’t- what am I your mother?
MONETIZATION OF APPS
Imagine the early days of popular applications like Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, or FarmersOnly.com and how different they are today. The process usually goes something like this:
1. Company launches an app
2. It on-boards as many users as possible
3. Then it monetizes its user base
4. Then it sells the bulk of its user data to analytics firms and the Trump campaign
When a developer or company launches a popular app, the user experience is over very dope and hip as the app continues rising in popularity. This is definitely the way it works, and not some kind of odd correlation that is not related to any other factors- please keep up.
At first, many software companies do not worry about monetization- don’t worry, they are good Samaritans that make apps to share pictures of your grandkids with totally strangers out of the goodness of their hearts. But eventually they start turning a profit. I’ll leave this ambiguous so you don’t see the strawman.
They also consider the role of outside investors. Often the constraints of taking on things like pork-barreling and defense contract funds and silencing entire swaths of people negatively affects the life cycle, and hell- probably the water cycle too. Shit’s crazy.
That means that, instead of going for some sustainable model of growth- the company is often pushed towards two paths: targeted advertisements that help young girls become bulimic- or selling those young girls’ data to dieting companies that then advertise to those young girls to become bulimic.
The exploitation and centralization of user data is core to how Web Dos works and is engineered to function.
But there is hope!
WHAT IS WEB 3.0?
There are a few fundamental differences between web2 and web3, but centralization is at its core.
Web 3, or Wébnage à Trois- enhances the internet as we know it today with a few other added characteristics. Web3 is verifiable, trustless, all-knowing, ruthless, sadistic (not even in a fun way), permissionless, and native built-in payments. Oh and shit’s like all about NFTs bro.
In Wébnage à Trois, developers don’t usually build and deploy applications that run on a single server or store their data in a single database. Instead, web3 applications either run on blockchain.
Just one- it’s crazy. You’ve heard of blockchains right? Shit’s a crazy-ass buzzword. See, the applications deploy to a blockchain where they are decentralized from the main axes datamainframe and placed into a slick immutable data array- but hey- don’t just take my word for it- look what the Bible says about blockchain-
“For He(Tom from Myspace) had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with (block)chains and (crypto)shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his (stocks and)bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.(Web3)” Luke 8:29.
These applications are referred to as ‘dabs’ and you will see that term used often in the web3 metaspace.
To achieve a stable and secure centralized network, network participants- often referred to as ‘consumers’ are incentivized to compete to provide the highest quality services to anyone using their service. As we all know- competition is the best way to ensure that the public gets good quality ‘dabs’.
When you hear about web3, you’ll notice that cryptocurrency is often a part of the conversation- in-fact, it’s the only conversation.
I’m so invested in FileCoin that I really need Web3 to be completely built on it- please, my wife Maria has taken the children.
This structure provides a financial incentive (cookie coins) for anyone who wants to give the few elite’s controlling everything money. It’s a great deal.
These protocols may often offer a variety of different services like compute, storage, bandwidth, identity, hosting, pet-sitting, grooming, table-setting, and many many more. People can scrape together enough cookie coins by consuming in various ways! It’s awesome.
Consumers of the service pay real money to use it! That’s right, Web3 will be ALL about you paying just to use it. Except in Wébnage à Trois, the money goes directly to the fatcats on Wall Street.
In this, like in many form of centralization, you’ll see that unnecessary and inefficient intermediaries are cut out- mainly you.
Many web infrastructure protocols like shitecoin have issues utility tokens that govern how the protocol functions. The tokens also reward consumers at many levels of the network. Yup, that’s as detailed as I’ll get.
NATIVE PAYMENTS
Tokens also introduce a native payment layer that is completely borderless and frictionless. Compare that with the current system which completely bordered and just riddled with friction.
Companies like Stripe and Paypal have created billions of dollars of value in enabling electronic payments. That’s right, they’ve created billions of dollars of value- whatever that means.
These systems are overly complex and still do not enable true international interoperability. Say that ten times fast. They also require you to hand over your sensitive information and personal data In order to use them.
Something my below Wébnage à Trois would never do! No- Web3 is a true gentleman- he won’t push you to do something you’re not ready for- he’ll wait for you to call him and if all you want to do is just give him a little peck on the cheek at the end of the night, he’ll be just fine with that. You don’t even have to tell him your name! All you have to do is write down your wallet address. Don’t worry- your wallet address is not linked to you personally in anyway! I promise!
Crypto wallets like MetaMask and Torus enable you to assimilate easily and anonymously into web3 applications.
A NEW WAY OF BUILDING COMPANIES
Don’t worry- Web3 destroys all brick and mortar buildings and replaces them with sick ‘dabs’. Tolkens also brings about, yeah that’s not a typo- tolkens also brings about the idea of tolkenization and the realization of a tolken economy.
Take, for, example, the current state of building a software company. You and your buddies are lazing around playing hacky-sack one afternoon in your Dad’s modest multi-million dollar mansion and you guys get the idea to make an app.
Great- I’ll just go ask daddy if we can borrow a cool mil to get started.
To get more money, you take on venture capital and give away a percentage of the company- or YOU DON’T. Like why do you have to, who said that’s like a rule? Nah- daddy pays for all of it and you get fat stacks.
Imagine, instead, that, a, new and exciting project is announced that solves a real problem. Like those benches that keep icky homeless people from sleeping on them- Anyone can participate in building it or investing in it from day one.
The company announces the release of X number of tolkens, and give 10% to early builders, put 10% to the public, and set the rest aside for future payment of contributors and funding of the project.
Yes a new Maserati is a business expense. They then offer Alpha access to their platform- if you sign up you get a free NFT of a cute little gopher poking a homeless man in the ass with a stick- classic.
Stakeholders can use their tolkens to vote on changes to the future of the project, and the people who helped built the project can sell some of their holdings to make money after the tolkens have been released. Sounds great right? Definitely sounds decentralized right? Totally in the hands of the public yeah?
Because blockchain data is all completely public and open, purchasers have complete transparency over what happens. Because that’s the right way to use that word. Yeah you have transparency over what happens. What the fuck man come on- is this the kind of shit garbage fire reporting we get in Wébnage à Trois?
DAOs- popularized by Harry Belafonte in his popular hit Banana Boat Song, offer an alternative way to build what we traditionally thought of as a company, are gaining tremendous momentum and investment from both traditional developers, non-traditional developers, witch-doctors, and ventriloquists.
These types of organizations are tolkenized and turn the idea of organizational structure on its head, offering real, liquid, equitable, steamy, creamy ownership to larger portions of stakeholders and aligning incentives in new and interesting ways!
I won’t go into all of the AMAZING and NEW and INTERESTING ways this changes anything, but come on- trust me!
HOW IDENTITY WORKS IN WEB3
In Web3, Identity also works much differently than what we are used to today.
Most of the time in web3 apps- which totally already exist and I can’t be making up on the spot are tied to wallet addresses- which again are definitely anonymous and would never- oh say be tied to a bank account to allow for the transition of fiat currency. Definitely untraceable- see how safe Web3 is?
If the user chooses to use the same wallet across multiple dabs, their identify is also seamlessly transferable across dabs, which lets them earn points that they can use to redeem a free haircut at Great Clips.
HOW TO BUILD ON WEB3
I’m a Redditer who recently transitioned into the web3 metaspace from a traditional shitposting background. What can I say- HODL!
I wanted to start building to get a sense of what the development experience felt like. And I wanted to get an understanding of the types of apps that we can build today.
I dove right in and decided to document some of things I was doing in a couple of blog posts. Then I kind of got bored, because like, I’m not making any cookie coins or tolkens doing this.
THIS IS A PARODY OF NADER DABIT’S “WHAT IS WEB3? THE DECENTRALIZED INTERNET OF THE FUTURE EXPLAINED”
https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/what-is-web3/
If history has taught us anything, these changes will matter a lot. In this article, I will lay out how the web has evolved, where it’s going next, and why it matters.
Think about how the internet affects your life on a daily basis. How about hourly? Think about how the internet has affected you- your loved ones, your pets- think about it. Consider how society has changed as a result of the internet. Now stop thinking about it- wait now think about it again. Social Media Platforms. Mobile apps. Flappy Bird. And Now the internet is going through another Paradigm shift as we speak- well I mean, as you read this. Probably.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE WEB
The web has evolved a lot over the years, and the applications of it today are unrecognizable from its most early days. The evolution of the web is often portioned into three separate stages: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0. How do I know this? I’m obviously from the future. After Web 3.0 the internet doesn’t exist. We don’t really use numbers anymore either, so it gets a little confusing.
WHAT IS WEB 1.0?
Web 1.0 was the first iteration of the web. If you didn’t know that- you idiot. Most participants were consumers of content- much like most participants are in this hellhole of a Late-stage capitalist’s wetdream.
The creators of the yummy consumable content were typically developers who built websites that contained information served up mainly in text or image format.
Web 1.0 lasted approximately from 1991 to 2004. How do we know it ended in 2004? January 27th, 2004 – Usher, Lil Jon and Ludacris won a Grammy for their single “Yeah!”.
You can think of Web 1.0 as the read-only web. You can also think of it as the only-read web. It’s also referred to as the web-only read.
WHAT IS WEB 2.0?
Most of us have primarily experienced the web in its current form, commonly referred to as web2, or Web Dos as the cool kids call it. And of course, most of us have experienced web2, because I’m omniscient and know what you have primarily experienced- also you’re a pervert.
In the wicked web2 world homie, you don’t have to be a developer to participate in the creation process. Many apps are built in a way that easily allows you to upload photos of your children, your pets, your loved-ones and feed the giant algorithms that allow Mark Zuckerberg to train his face rig.
If you want to craft a thought and share it with the world, you can! Nobody will give a shit, but you can do it. If you want to upload a video and allow millions of people to see it, interact with it, and comment on it, you can’t- it’s too late for that, you should have been an early adopter of YouTube you dumb shit.
The web in its current form is really great in many ways- so numerous- I won’t even mention how, but there are some areas we can do a lot better.
WEB DOS MONETIZATION AND SECURITY
In the web2 world, also shortened to the w2w, many popular apps are following a common pattern in their life cycles. Think of some of the apps that you use on a daily basis, and how the following examples might apply to them- or don’t- what am I your mother?
MONETIZATION OF APPS
Imagine the early days of popular applications like Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, or FarmersOnly.com and how different they are today. The process usually goes something like this:
1. Company launches an app
2. It on-boards as many users as possible
3. Then it monetizes its user base
4. Then it sells the bulk of its user data to analytics firms and the Trump campaign
When a developer or company launches a popular app, the user experience is over very dope and hip as the app continues rising in popularity. This is definitely the way it works, and not some kind of odd correlation that is not related to any other factors- please keep up.
At first, many software companies do not worry about monetization- don’t worry, they are good Samaritans that make apps to share pictures of your grandkids with totally strangers out of the goodness of their hearts. But eventually they start turning a profit. I’ll leave this ambiguous so you don’t see the strawman.
They also consider the role of outside investors. Often the constraints of taking on things like pork-barreling and defense contract funds and silencing entire swaths of people negatively affects the life cycle, and hell- probably the water cycle too. Shit’s crazy.
That means that, instead of going for some sustainable model of growth- the company is often pushed towards two paths: targeted advertisements that help young girls become bulimic- or selling those young girls’ data to dieting companies that then advertise to those young girls to become bulimic.
The exploitation and centralization of user data is core to how Web Dos works and is engineered to function.
But there is hope!
WHAT IS WEB 3.0?
There are a few fundamental differences between web2 and web3, but centralization is at its core.
Web 3, or Wébnage à Trois- enhances the internet as we know it today with a few other added characteristics. Web3 is verifiable, trustless, all-knowing, ruthless, sadistic (not even in a fun way), permissionless, and native built-in payments. Oh and shit’s like all about NFTs bro.
In Wébnage à Trois, developers don’t usually build and deploy applications that run on a single server or store their data in a single database. Instead, web3 applications either run on blockchain.
Just one- it’s crazy. You’ve heard of blockchains right? Shit’s a crazy-ass buzzword. See, the applications deploy to a blockchain where they are decentralized from the main axes datamainframe and placed into a slick immutable data array- but hey- don’t just take my word for it- look what the Bible says about blockchain-
“For He(Tom from Myspace) had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with (block)chains and (crypto)shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his (stocks and)bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.(Web3)” Luke 8:29.
These applications are referred to as ‘dabs’ and you will see that term used often in the web3 metaspace.
To achieve a stable and secure centralized network, network participants- often referred to as ‘consumers’ are incentivized to compete to provide the highest quality services to anyone using their service. As we all know- competition is the best way to ensure that the public gets good quality ‘dabs’.
When you hear about web3, you’ll notice that cryptocurrency is often a part of the conversation- in-fact, it’s the only conversation.
I’m so invested in FileCoin that I really need Web3 to be completely built on it- please, my wife Maria has taken the children.
This structure provides a financial incentive (cookie coins) for anyone who wants to give the few elite’s controlling everything money. It’s a great deal.
These protocols may often offer a variety of different services like compute, storage, bandwidth, identity, hosting, pet-sitting, grooming, table-setting, and many many more. People can scrape together enough cookie coins by consuming in various ways! It’s awesome.
Consumers of the service pay real money to use it! That’s right, Web3 will be ALL about you paying just to use it. Except in Wébnage à Trois, the money goes directly to the fatcats on Wall Street.
In this, like in many form of centralization, you’ll see that unnecessary and inefficient intermediaries are cut out- mainly you.
Many web infrastructure protocols like shitecoin have issues utility tokens that govern how the protocol functions. The tokens also reward consumers at many levels of the network. Yup, that’s as detailed as I’ll get.
NATIVE PAYMENTS
Tokens also introduce a native payment layer that is completely borderless and frictionless. Compare that with the current system which completely bordered and just riddled with friction.
Companies like Stripe and Paypal have created billions of dollars of value in enabling electronic payments. That’s right, they’ve created billions of dollars of value- whatever that means.
These systems are overly complex and still do not enable true international interoperability. Say that ten times fast. They also require you to hand over your sensitive information and personal data In order to use them.
Something my below Wébnage à Trois would never do! No- Web3 is a true gentleman- he won’t push you to do something you’re not ready for- he’ll wait for you to call him and if all you want to do is just give him a little peck on the cheek at the end of the night, he’ll be just fine with that. You don’t even have to tell him your name! All you have to do is write down your wallet address. Don’t worry- your wallet address is not linked to you personally in anyway! I promise!
Crypto wallets like MetaMask and Torus enable you to assimilate easily and anonymously into web3 applications.
A NEW WAY OF BUILDING COMPANIES
Don’t worry- Web3 destroys all brick and mortar buildings and replaces them with sick ‘dabs’. Tolkens also brings about, yeah that’s not a typo- tolkens also brings about the idea of tolkenization and the realization of a tolken economy.
Take, for, example, the current state of building a software company. You and your buddies are lazing around playing hacky-sack one afternoon in your Dad’s modest multi-million dollar mansion and you guys get the idea to make an app.
Great- I’ll just go ask daddy if we can borrow a cool mil to get started.
To get more money, you take on venture capital and give away a percentage of the company- or YOU DON’T. Like why do you have to, who said that’s like a rule? Nah- daddy pays for all of it and you get fat stacks.
Imagine, instead, that, a, new and exciting project is announced that solves a real problem. Like those benches that keep icky homeless people from sleeping on them- Anyone can participate in building it or investing in it from day one.
The company announces the release of X number of tolkens, and give 10% to early builders, put 10% to the public, and set the rest aside for future payment of contributors and funding of the project.
Yes a new Maserati is a business expense. They then offer Alpha access to their platform- if you sign up you get a free NFT of a cute little gopher poking a homeless man in the ass with a stick- classic.
Stakeholders can use their tolkens to vote on changes to the future of the project, and the people who helped built the project can sell some of their holdings to make money after the tolkens have been released. Sounds great right? Definitely sounds decentralized right? Totally in the hands of the public yeah?
Because blockchain data is all completely public and open, purchasers have complete transparency over what happens. Because that’s the right way to use that word. Yeah you have transparency over what happens. What the fuck man come on- is this the kind of shit garbage fire reporting we get in Wébnage à Trois?
DAOs- popularized by Harry Belafonte in his popular hit Banana Boat Song, offer an alternative way to build what we traditionally thought of as a company, are gaining tremendous momentum and investment from both traditional developers, non-traditional developers, witch-doctors, and ventriloquists.
These types of organizations are tolkenized and turn the idea of organizational structure on its head, offering real, liquid, equitable, steamy, creamy ownership to larger portions of stakeholders and aligning incentives in new and interesting ways!
I won’t go into all of the AMAZING and NEW and INTERESTING ways this changes anything, but come on- trust me!
HOW IDENTITY WORKS IN WEB3
In Web3, Identity also works much differently than what we are used to today.
Most of the time in web3 apps- which totally already exist and I can’t be making up on the spot are tied to wallet addresses- which again are definitely anonymous and would never- oh say be tied to a bank account to allow for the transition of fiat currency. Definitely untraceable- see how safe Web3 is?
If the user chooses to use the same wallet across multiple dabs, their identify is also seamlessly transferable across dabs, which lets them earn points that they can use to redeem a free haircut at Great Clips.
HOW TO BUILD ON WEB3
I’m a Redditer who recently transitioned into the web3 metaspace from a traditional shitposting background. What can I say- HODL!
I wanted to start building to get a sense of what the development experience felt like. And I wanted to get an understanding of the types of apps that we can build today.
I dove right in and decided to document some of things I was doing in a couple of blog posts. Then I kind of got bored, because like, I’m not making any cookie coins or tolkens doing this.
THIS IS A PARODY OF NADER DABIT’S “WHAT IS WEB3? THE DECENTRALIZED INTERNET OF THE FUTURE EXPLAINED”
https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/what-is-web3/