We are currently in the age of cryptocurrency. Games, art, music, and even real-life events are being purchased using a digital coin that only exists within data.

We are influenced by the media around us, and it's only about time that even more individuals enter the blockchain. Right now, with NFTs and types of cryptocurrency, it's only the beginning of the digital world. According to experts, this may be the internet's future and only the beginning of Web3.

The Evolving Internet

When Tim Berners Lee created the internet, he didn't expect it to reach as far as it would today. There are now computers in almost every home, technologies that were put into development because of this, and the creation and innovation of systems we use today.

The world wide web started so simply, from just texts and images we view on a website to the age of social media and online intractability. It's a gradual change that has contributed to how society works, thinks and reacts. It can only continue to evolve from here because of new discoveries, needs, and demands.

We see that happening right in front of us. NFTs booming, the surge of cryptocurrency during the past two years, and how it has affected individuals from different walks of life. Web3 is a far-future concept where blockchain will reign, and consumers will be given a new kind of power.

But before we can talk about the next evolution of the internet, we'll need to talk about how it began. The history of the internet through terms and why it's continuing to change.

Web1, Web2, and Web3 are usually used by professionals surrounding technology. However, this internet stage involves everybody who creates and consumes content. Understanding the terminologies and what they pertain to will help you better grasp Web3 once it arrives.

The beginning of the WWW: Web 1.0

Web1 is the first stage of the internet. It is the early days of what will be a revolutionary trend in global communication. Professionals in the industry call this the read-only era of the internet when it was surrounded by static pages compared to the high-visuals we know today.

It was a time before social media or before you could interact with others worldwide. It was an information type of internet where people may be able to log in and read published texts on web pages hosted by servers.

Developers were still making waves as an in-demand career track during this point as they discovered and learned how to make web pages with HTML.

The simple layouts were telling of websites that hailed from Web1, where you'll find primarily hyperlinks, primary colors, and straight-to-the-point texts. There are usually no moving images, videos, or mixtures of different purposes within site.

An example of how different each web era will be is the evolution of e-commerce. In Web1, an e-commerce website will only consist of a website with a list of items. A digital catalog where a user may know the availability of supplies in the shop without needing to go to the location. However, the user won't be able to buy from the shop the same way we do now.

These types of sites only belong within Web1. Web2, in contrast, increases intractability and introduces the funnels within browsing a web page.

Elements of Web 1.0

1. HTML extensions

2. Static pages

3. HTML elements of frames and tables

4. GIF buttons

Our current internet: Web 2.0

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok. This is the current stage of the Internet and where we are currently. Developers are in high demand and have numerous coding know-how in their arsenal.

Gone are the websites that only had HTML in their backend, and in comes to the likes of CSS and web-based technology like Javascript that open possibilities for the visual entertainment we enjoy today.

Web2 is the era of content creation. Professionals have dubbed this as a read-write internet. From the read-only format to becoming multi-platforms for entertainment from user-generated content.

Communication is now accessible more than ever with global connectivity and interaction. Browsers are now more than just Internet Explorer because Web2 is also about options.

Millions of people are now using the internet for various reasons. This includes big corporations and significant politicians that create content of their own, especially on Facebook.

You can notice the vast differences between Web1 and Web2. From the visual devices and the many applications that have been created to the purpose of each page.

You now have social networking, blogs, gaming websites, video sites, and more. Even a household computer must upgrade its hardware and software application to keep up with the increasing pace of Web2's potential.

Technologies adapted and gave way for engines like Google to exist on such a large scale. Web2 indeed was and is a new era of digital technology that isn't finished evolving. It is Web2 that also gave rise to the development of artificial intelligence, a maximized database, and of course, blockchain technology.

The introduction of cryptocurrency during the age of Web2 started the discussion on the concept of Web3.

Elements of Web 2.0

1. Contains dynamic content

2. Forms of interaction (posting, commenting, tagging, blogging)

3. Free information sorting

4. 

Moving forward to Web3

Experts that have already begun using blockchain see the internet as a decentralized network in the future. This is where it gets a little complicated, as the concept is more revolutionary and groundbreaking than simply using blockchain.

Web2, while it rests upon the experiences of user interactions and for people to publish content, there is a question of who controls the information.

Because of our want and need for content, companies control our information and the information we consume. Our data is tracked and used for marketing purchases when we log in.

Our data is being used to make these companies money without our consent to sell this information publicly. This is what experts then call a centralized network, one with a central authority.

A decentralized network

What does this mean for Web3? Web3 envisions the opposite of what Web2 presents: a network within the blockchain wherein the users will have control of their information. There is no central figure to dictate who ears and who doesn't come from the knowledge that users can generate around the web.

This is the decentralized internet, a future where all users will benefit from the data they have contributed. Experts dub this as a read-write-own.

Decentralized protocols would then be in place wherein users will control the network or the internet as a whole. Users would still be able to interact, use blogs, and post their creations on the web, as well as have access to other platforms. But Web3 sees this happening throughout the blockchain, where users will be part owners of this network.

It is seen as a utopia for the internet. If currently, we are unaware of where our information is being used and who is using them, Web3 will be a form that allows us to be aware of what exactly is happening to this database.

In Web3, we will see more platforms or decentralized apps in play. Users will make use of cryptocurrency, trade NFTs easily, and make real-world purchases using this digital money that no government can control.

Will Web3 happen soon?

While NFTs are already being traded and cryptocurrency among the investment opportunities, Web3 won't happen anytime soon. Web3 can happen with the collective effort of millions who would like to see this turn into reality. There are now apps and other platforms currently in development that make use of Web3 elements.

It also needs the effort of people that makes use of these elements and find confidence in the use of cryptocurrency. It will take time before Web3's visions will be actualized, and adjustments need to be made in technologies that use this. There are also still critics and problems that need to be addressed for a decentralized world.

In conclusion, it will be ways until we can see users take control of their information on an internet-powered solely by blockchain and not a private or group of entities. If this is the kind of future of the internet you would like to see, then continue reading up on Web3 and how you may be able to contribute to its actuality and development.