Web 1, Web 2, Web 3…… Web 4? Web 5? and beyond!
The development of the web, has it changed us as a society?
The evolution of the web has brought more changes in our lives than we think. Everything from how we consume information to how we manage identity, to what we do with that identity online. All these are all changing with this evolution as well, from a simple and traditional web 1 to what we have now.
Perhaps many did not even use it, and perhaps others do remember it, but web 1 was simply known as "the web" and was at this stage just read-only. No interaction with users was possible; those accessing the web were limited to consuming the information made available in a one-way communication network.
With the thirst for evolution that humans have, web technology developed to the point of giving way to the web 2 which was baptized as the "Collaborative Internet". Social networks, blogs and other collaborative tools have made possible a new form of user participation and communication. The user has become not only an active contributor but also the creator and manager of online content.
All of the above brought about a great change, for many of us (including me) web 3 was something unknown, if it weren't for cryptocurrencies I would not know or understand this new world (even today I am still learning and I encourage everyone to realize to the task of learning too).
In my opinion web 3 is the next step of the internet. Although it has been developing for years, it still has a long way to go, starting with people who don't know it, finding out about its potential. There are many things that web 3 tries to solve, one of them is the collection of personal data by private networks on web 2.
That is why the focus of web 3 is to be a network of decentralized networks, so that everyone could trust it as it is not controlled by any entity. Its essence is that your data cannot be collected without your consent, as well as that access to anyone will not be limited or censored.
Summarizing we can say that:
Web 1 clearly favored the publishers (message forums, first portals).
Web 2 benefits the platforms (Facebook, YouTube, among others).
Web 3 seeks to encourage users to be benefited and rewarded.
Now, all of the above has led us to go even further, and this is where web 4 arrives (it is not new, it has been with us since 2016), which adds a key concept "artificial intelligence".
We all use smartphones, and this is where we see the focus of the web4 with virtual assistants, such as Siri, Cortana or Google Now, because they are achieving a greater understanding of natural language thanks to machine learning systems. This type of technology has advanced so much that the more we use our devices, the more they know about our tastes, our lifestyle, our schedule and so on. Perhaps we think that development will end here, but there is still something else.
I have always found the ability of some people to innovate incredible, and this is the case with web 5 (the emotional web or the sensory web). If someone told you "hey, we can identify the emotions of users when seeing, hearing or reading about something", naturally many would think "this one has gone crazy", but the truth is that web 5 focuses on that.
The interaction between a computer and us will become as natural as talking between two people, all thanks to neurotechnology.
However, we can also see the perspective of Jack Dorsey's web 5 in a general way, since his objective is to create an open platform for developers focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) and Bitcoin in which users, in addition to ensuring their identity, can enjoy a passwordless experience (without the need to use passwords).
Regardless of what the orientation of web 5 is, which I consider to be at a very early stage and to define it is still very soon, the most important thing is that any initiative be in favor of the users and in the development of the technologies that guide tomorrow.
To conclude, I would like to add that in my opinion technology has changed us as a society, some will say for the better, others will think that for the worse (I leave this to your consideration). But let's think that in the last 30 years the development occurred has been much more than in all of history. Today no one can even think what it is like to be without internet, even the elderly have adapted to today's world. There are many tools, applications, web pages, that help us in one way or another to our personal development.
Who knows what the future may bring us, it is uncertain but at the same time it is exciting. I would like to know what you think, what ideas come to mind, we are all here to learn and share.
Excellent info, love your writting! Looking forward for yot next post!
Love this Daco - these are some interesting points you're covering on the shifts of the web!