WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WEB3 AND WEB2?
Tags: web3, blockchain, javascript, webdev
Published: 2022-03-17 03:51:31

In the emerging technoverse of 21st century technology, one of the subtly ignored and sometimes less understood topics is the key differences between web 3.0 and web 2.0. To non-tech folks, web 2.0 and web 3.0 are just slightly different variants of the same internet or worldwide web. The internet, however, has been evolving over time and the latest version is web 3.0, which is an improvement over a prior version, web 2.0. Before web 2.0, the existing version of the worldwide web was web 1.0, but this version did not provide sufficient features for interaction with web content.  With the advent of web 2.0, some of the deficiencies of web 1.0 were corrected. Web 2.0, in turn had its own drawbacks which subsequently have been improved upon in web 3.0. 

Web 2.0 was the second generation of the worldwide web which greatly enhanced human interaction with web content. It enabled web designers to improve on the design of web pages and also facilitated dynamic web content. Web 2.0 also enhanced the use of APIs and witnessed the widespread adoption of technologies such as social media, Ecommerce, database-driven websites, computer networking, etc. These were facilitated by a faster and stronger internet. The internet was more robust and widespread in web 2.0 as a result of the improvements in interactivity, inter-connectivity and overall efficiency that were achieved. 

Although web 2.0 was quite advanced and provided a number of sophisticated features, the evolving demands of the workplace, business, and human interactions soon necessitated the introduction of several improvements to web 2.0 with new innovations. Web 2.0 was beset by lack of data integrity, too much centralization, and trust requirements. This gave rise to web 3.0. Web 3.0 has enabled the creation of trust-less networks and decentralized web platforms. In web 3.0, there is no need for centralized counterparties or facilitators. Web 3.0 enables internet users to own and exert greater control on their data. This is possible because there is greater privacy and security in web 3.0, especially with the advent of blockchains and cryptographic technologies. In web 3.0, there is also greater synergy between cryptographic algorithms and Artificial Intelligence. 

Even though Web 3.0 is still at a nascent stage in its development, there are a lot of ongoing training programs, awareness campaigns and publicity being targeted at promoting web 3.0 technologies and training developers in web3 technologies. In this regard, the efforts of Blockgames (https://blockgames.gg/), Nestcoin (https://nestcoin.com/ ), and Zuriteam (https://zuri.team/ ) are commendable as they have shown great commitment towards the training of blockchain developers in Africa. With other similar programs springing up all over the world, web 3.0 will soon supplant web 2.0 leaving little or no relics.

Web 2.0 and web 3.0. may seem to be just two slightly different, versions of the internet, yet a deeper inquiry into the features of each version of the internet will reveal marked differences.  Web 2.0 is characterized by too much centralization and trusting requirements whereas web 3.0 facilitates decentralization , trust-less relationships and operations on the web, and greater internet security on decentralized web infrastructure. Web 3.0 is still at its early stage of development, but it will determine the future course of development of the internet.