There have been times in each one of our respective lives where we have used the web for research, email response, data storage, entertainment, shopping: the list goes on and on. The internet has transformed the way people interact and communicate, giving a platform of many possibilities to its users. Along with all of its greatness comes some of the more darker aspects of the internet.
Technology and the web have transformed the lives of many, including the private moments that may not be as private as we may think. We are a connected people through our phones, laptops, cameras, tablets, and all of the other wonderful technological devices we find ourselves accustomed to. This means that hacking into personal data is a real possibility in such a world. It’s no secret that trusting data with the wrong set of people can be a true calamity. Thankfully, there are highly intelligent and motivated people out there who are aware of such breaches of trust and are actively working for a solution through specialized web designs.
What Exactly is Web 3.0?
The internet wasn’t created to be controlled by a handful of people commanding the network through traffic and data. The original designers envisioned individual computers directly communicating with each other while maintaining some responsibility and benefaction to the network. When people use the internet today they are connected through what has been termed Web 2.0.
Web 2.0 has become something that relies on larger corporations to store and distributive data. Think of how many folks around the globe use the web daily for whatever reason and imagine how much data these behemoths of business have been able to compile over the years. Over time this information will show trends in our behavior on the internet, allowing them to gain knowledge down to a very personal level.
These include those who online shop, or read certain articles that can perhaps swing you on one side or another along the political spectrum. What can be done with this information? Loads of manipulation. Have you ever been browsing a webpage and noticed an advertisement that matches something you talked about with your spouse and opened your browser to do a search earlier that same day? Does the product continue to linger whenever you open up your web browser for the next several weeks?
This isn’t inadvertent. The small concentration controlling traffic and data will use your information for profit by either selling data or offering advertising that is there to influence thoughts and behaviors.
Enter Web 3.0. The genesis behind Web 3.0 is to bring the internet back into the hands of its users. The manipulation occurring is simply unwanted by a mass of individuals who use the internet each and every day of their existence. These new networking technologies will utilize the way peer to peer interaction is done and follow the advancements of things like blockchains that will build services against profit, protecting users of the internet as they connect. The goal is to be decentralized and avoid the dangers of a monopolized system. It is about protecting individuals through a wide range of peer to peer interaction. This seems like a healthy idea as leaked data and web manipulation is never a pleasant thing for an individual.
More Than Protection
The importance of security and privacy on the internet is the fundamental step in the evolution of the web, but it isn’t the only potential thing users can allow themselves to get excited about. Web 3.0 is meant to help users in a greater ability. Think of a time where you have been traveling and want to grab a bite to eat while also finding a restaurant that has a shopping mall close by. Some experts believe Web 3.0 will be able to understand more complex web searches and be able to assist its users by offering an easier way of using the web. The hope is that Web 3.0 will be an assistant to each individual user and assist them with information storage as opposed to harm the user.
Will It Work?
One doesn’t have to think very far back to a time where the idea of a decentralized internet relying on the advancements of peer to peer communication would seem quite ambitious. Just a few short years ago the idea of the central authorities that be losing its grip on the way data and traffic is distributed seemed so far out of reach. The idea of Web 3.0 is a hopeful one, but will it work? Time will tell on the matter, but with great advancements in technology come great possibilities. It isn’t so far out of possibility that Web 3.0 will again transform the way individuals user the internet for their everyday needs.