What is Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0?

Definitions, Differences, & Similarities

What Is Web 1.0?

Basically, this first version of the Web consisted of a few people creating web pages and content
and web pages for a large group of readers, allowing them to access facts, information, and
content from the sources.

Or you can sum up Web 1.0 like this: it was designed to help people better find information. This
web version was dedicated to users searching for data. This web version is sometimes called “the
read-only Web” because it lacks the necessary forms, visuals, controls, and interactivity we enjoy
on today’s Internet.

People use the term “Web 1.0” to describe the earliest form of the Internet. Users saw the first
example of a worldwide network that hinted at future digital communication and
information-sharing potential.

Here are a few characteristics found in Web 1.0:

● It’s made up of static pages connected to a system via hyperlinks

● It has HTML 3.2 elements like frames and tables
● HTML forms get sent through e-mail
● The content comes from the server's filesystem, not a relational database management
system
● It features GIF buttons and graphics

Take a real-world dictionary, digitize everything in it, and make it accessible to people online to
look at (but not be able to react to it). Boom. That’s Web 1.0.
What Is Web 2.0?

If Web 1.0 was made up of a small number of people generating content for a larger audience,
then Web 2.0 is many people creating even more content for a growing audience. Web 1.0
focused on reading; Web 2.0 focused on participating and contributing.

This Internet form emphasizes User-Generated Content (UGC), ease of use, interactivity, and
improved compatibility with other systems and devices. Web 2.0 is all about the end user's
experience. Consequently, this Web form was responsible for creating communities,
collaborations, dialogue, and social media. As a result, Web 2.0 is considered the primary form
of web interaction for most of today's users.

If Web 1.0 was called “the read-only Web,” Web 2.0 is known as “the participative social Web.”
Web 2.0 is a better, more enhanced version of its predecessor, incorporating web browser
technologies such as JavaScript frameworks.

Here’s a breakdown of typical Web 2.0 characteristics:

● It offers free information sorting, allowing users to retrieve and classify data
collectively
● It contains dynamic content that responds to the user’s input
● It employs Developed Application Programming Interfaces (API)
● It encourages self-usage and allows forms of interaction like:
● Podcasting
● Social media
● Tagging
● Blogging
● Commenting
● Curating with RSS
 ● Social networking
● Web content voting
● It’s used by society at large and not limited to specific communities.

Mobile Internet access and the rise of social networks have contributed to a dramatic upturn in
Web 2.0’s growth. This explosion is also fueled by the rampant popularity of mobile devices
such as Android-powered devices and iPhones. In addition, Web 2.0's growth made it possible
for apps such as TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube to expand and dominate the online landscape.

You’re using Web 2.0 at this exact moment, you know.

What Is Web 3.0?

And finally, we come to the latest Web iteration.

When trying to figure out the definitive web 3.0 meaning, we need to look into the future.
Although there are elements of Web 3.0 currently available today, it still has a way to go before it
reaches full realization.

Web 3.0, which is also referred to as Web3, is built on a foundation consisting of the core ideas
of decentralization, openness, and more excellent user utility. Web 1.0 is the "read-only Web,"
Web 2.0 is the "participative social Web," and Web 3.0 is the "read, write, execute Web."

This Web interaction and utilization stage moves users away from centralized platforms like
Facebook, Google, or Twitter and towards decentralized, nearly anonymous platforms. World
Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee initially called Web 3.0 the Semantic Web and envisioned
an intelligent, autonomous, and open Internet that used Artificial Intelligence and Machine
Learning to act as a "global brain" and process content conceptually and contextually.
This idealized version didn’t quite pan out due to technological limitations, like how expensive
and complicated it is to convert human language into something readily understood by
computers.

Here’s a list of typical Web 3.0 characteristics:

● It's a semantic web, where the web technology evolves into a tool that lets users
create, share, and connect content via search and analysis. It is based on
comprehension of words instead of numbers and keywords.
● It incorporates Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. If these concepts are
combined with Natural Language Processing (NLP), the result is a computer that uses
Web 3.0 to become smarter and more responsive to user needs.
● It presents the connectivity of multiple devices and applications through the Internet
of Things (IoT). Semantic metadata makes this process possible, allowing all available
information to be effectively leveraged. In addition, people can connect to the Internet
anytime, anywhere, without needing a computer or smart device.
● It offers users the freedom to interact publicly or privately without having an
intermediary expose them to risks, therefore offering people “trustless” data.
● It uses 3-D graphics. In fact, we already see this in computer games, virtual tours, and
e-commerce.
● It facilitates participation without needing authorization from a governing body. It’s
permissionless.
● It can be used for:
● Metaverses: A 3D-rendered, boundless, virtual world
● Blockchain games: They allow users to have actual ownership of in-game
resources, following the principles of NFTs
● Privacy and digital infrastructure: This use includes zero-knowledge proofs
and more secure personal information
● Decentralized finance. This use includes payment Blockchains, peer-to-peer
digital financial transactions, smart contracts, and cryptocurrency
 ● Decentralized autonomous organizations. Community members own online
communities

Web 3.0 ultimately lets users interact, exchange information, and securely conduct financial
transactions without a centralized authority or coordinator. As a result, each user becomes a
content owner instead of just a content user.

Remember that Web 3.0 isn't entirely in place. However, we are already seeing elements of Web
3.0 working their way into our Internet experiences, such as NFTs, Blockchain, Distributed
ledgers, and the AR cloud. Additionally, Siri is Web 3.0 technology, as is the Internet of Things.
However, if and when the full implementation happens, it will be closer to Berners-Lee's initial
vision of Web 3.0. As he puts it, it will be a place with "no permission is needed from a central
authority to post anything … there is no central controlling node, and so no single point of failure
… and no "kill switch."

Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work to be done, especially in speech recognition; human
speech has a staggering variety of nuances and terms that technology can't fully comprehend.
There have been advances, but the process hasn't yet been perfected.

Uses of Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0

● Uses of Web 1.0: Web 1.0 functions as a CDN (content delivery network), allowing a
chunk of the website to be displayed on the website. As a result, it can be used as a
personal website. The users would be charged in terms of each page view. It is made
up of directories that allow its users to get a certain collection of information.
● Uses of Web 2.0: The social web comprises numerous platforms and tools. People
contribute their opinions, insights, experiences, and thoughts on these sites. Thus, Web
2.0 tends to interact substantially more with its end users. These end users are not only
the users of the programmes, but also the participants/viewers generated by podcasts,
 tagging, blogging, RSS curation, Web content voting, Social media, Social
networking, Social bookmarking, and many more.
● Uses of Web 3.0: Web 3.0 are enhanced variations of the original Web 1.0 from the
1990s and early 2000s. Web 3.0 is the next generation of the current web that we are
familiar with.

Potential and Pitfalls of Web 3.0

Potentials

1. Data ownership. You will have the choice of what details you want to provide to
companies and advertising agencies, and you will be able to make money off of it.
2. There are fewer middlemen.
3. Transparency - Every stakeholder will constantly be aware of the worth and business
they are connected to.
4. The improvement of internet data connections will be made possible via the semantic
web.

Pitfalls

1. Users will need a device with above-average hardware to access Web3.

2. For newbies, it could be a little challenging to understand.
3. Difficult to regulate.
4. Simple access to users' private and open data
What Are the Differences Between Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0?

Web 1.0 Web 2.0 Web 3.0

Typically read-only Strongly read-write Read-write-interact

Owned content Shared content Consolidated content

Visual/interactive Web Programmable Web Linked data Web

Home pages Wikis and blogs Waves and live streams

Web page Web service endpoint Data space

HTML/HTTP/URL/Portals XML/RSS RDF/RDFS/OWL

Page views Cost per click User engagement

 File/web servers, search Instant messaging, Ajax and Personal intelligent data
engines, e-mail, P2P file JavaScript frameworks, assistants, ontologies,
sharing, content and enterprise Adobe Flex knowledge bases,
portals semantic search
functions

Directories Tagging the user User behavior

Focus on the company Focus on the community Focus on the individual

Encyclopedia Britannica Wikipedia The Semantic Web

online

Banner advertising Interactive advertising Behavioral advertising

Active 1989-2005 Active 1999-2012 Active 2006-ongoing

What Are the Similarities Between the Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0?

If you take a good look at all three different web versions, you notice that they only have a few
fundamental traits in common. They are:

● They all deal with the relationship between end-users and information
● They all provide users with an iteration of the “read” function
● They all rely on the Internet to expedite their tasks
What Are the Features of the Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0?

Here’s a breakdown of each web version’s salient features.

Web 1.0

● No user-to-server communication
● Static websites
● Content browsing only
● Hyper-linking and bookmarking pages
● Read-only Web

Web 2.0

● Improved user interaction over Web 1.0

● Web applications introduced
● Functions such as online documents, video streaming, etc.
● Everything moves online; information and apps are stored on servers
● Interactive advertising and pay-per-click
● Cloud computing operations
● Centralized data
● Read and Write Web

Web 3.0

● Intelligent, web-based functionalities and applications

● Decentralized processes
● A fusion of Web technology and Knowledge Representation
● Behavioral advertising and engagement
● Edge computing
● Live videos
 ● The Internet of Things (IoT)
● Semantic searches
● Read, Write, and Control Web

Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0: A Closer Comparison

Let’s take a closer look at these two versions of the Web, especially since they are the iterations
that the majority of users are most familiar with. Long-standing Internet users are no doubt
familiar with the “old” Internet (Web 1.0), and Web 2.0 is the default standard today, so everyone
has experienced it in one way or another. We have elements of Web 3.0 here and there, but it
hasn’t been rolled out as a complete entity yet.

The best way to accurately compare Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0 is by analogy. Let’s say someone hands
you a book to read. You read it, but you can’t change any of the words in it. That’s what Web 1.0
was like. On the other hand, if someone offered you a different book and a red editor’s pencil and
told you that you can not only read the book but also use the pencil to make changes or additions
to it, well, that’s Web 2.0.

So, Web 1.0 information can’t be modified, while Web 2.0 information can. Web 1.0 is a static
Web with linear information, and Web 2.0 is a dynamic Web that contains non-linear
information. Linear information is defined as text that must be read in the traditional straight-line
format, from beginning to end. Non-linear, on the other hand, has no such restrictions, and can be
read in any order the reader wishes.

Web 1.0 is a static form of the Web, while the Web 2.0 is a dynamic entity. Then we add Web 3.0
back in the mix and see how it takes the user experience to the next level.
Looking Beyond Web 3.0

Yes, there is already talk of a Web 4.0! Speculation is rampant, with people theorizing that it will
be more cerebral and address the decentralization issues raised by Web 3.0. Decentralization isn't
perfect and will require extensive fine-tuning if it's adopted on a large scale.

There are even some pundits who speculate that Web 4.0 will be the ultimate step in Web
evolution, with users accessing the Web via physical implants! Depending on your sensibilities,
that is either a very cool idea or an absolute dystopian nightmare!

And for anyone who thinks that idea is too much in the realm of science fiction, remember that
we have wearable tech in the present, things like FitBits, or heart monitors that send information
to the patient’s Primary Care Provider. It's not too big of a move to a device that’s implanted in
the user that allows Web access at will and bypasses the need for a hand-held mobile device.

But no matter what Web 4.0 will look like, it's still decades away. So, for now, the IT world is
busy trying to implement Web 3.0 fully.

What Is Web 2.5?

Businesses operating on the blockchain that fall between Web2 and Web3 are increasingly
referred to as Web 2.5. The rationale for this is that users want the benefits of a platform built on
a blockchain.
What Is Web 4.0?

The term "Internet 4.0," also referred to as "Web 4.0," is used to refer to a future stage of the
Web where users may interact more easily. The growing use of social media and mobile devices
in this generation is distinctive.