Web 3.0: How internet use is evolving

The invention of the internet has undoubtedly brought about technical advancement for humanity on an unprecedented level. Not only has the internet changed the way we do business, but it has also changed society in an irreversible way. In the last thirty years web technology has continued evolving, and so has the way in which we use it. Currently we are hearing more and more about Web 3.0, but as we head into the next generation of web technology how will the way we use the internet evolve? The short answer to that question is that no one knows for sure. Web 3.0 is a relative concept and there are differing versions and opinions over what it means and how it will change the way we do things online and in everyday life.

Much discussion centres around the idea of the semantic web, where machines are capable of processing internet content like human users. Instead of web technologies functioning on keywords or numbers, some hope that under Web 3.0 they will be able to generate and share content by being capable of search and analysis based on an understanding of the meaning of words. In reality, this might look something like asking your computer to help you find a new, affordable phone with specific features without needing to scroll through pages of results. That image is not too different from the original vision of internet founder Tim Berners-Lee, however he has expressed a greater optimism towards a decentralised future of Web 3.0. In this vision, power over personal data gathered and sold by big tech companies will be given to users by distributed ledgers and storage on blockchain.

The idea of the spatial web considers the way we will interact with Web 3.0 in terms of accessibility and practicality rather than an interest in the principles of internet usage. Consider the applications of filters on social media. It can be fun to change your eye colour, but potential exists to use this technology in our daily lives for testing out outfits and makeup, or visualising furniture in a space. The spatial web would see the internet freed from the smart phone and computer, embedded into our daily lives. We could instead begin to see this technology incorporated into cars, houses and shops. We might gaze out of a window and have it display the temperature outside, or perhaps the weather forecast.

Whatever form it takes, we will surely see exciting development in internet use under web 3.0. Not only does the potential lie for user empowerment and a move away from centralised surveillance and exploitative advertising, but also for an internet experience exceedingly more integrated with our daily lives.

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Links and Further Reading

Expert.ai. 2020. The 5 Main Features of Web 3.0. [online] Available at: https://www.expert.ai/blog/web-3-0/ [Accessed 4 February 2022].

Noone, G., 2021. How will the web evolve? Three visions for Web 3.0 - Tech Monitor. [online] Tech Monitor. Available at: https://techmonitor.ai/technology/emerging-technology/how-will-the-web-future-evolve [Accessed 4 February 2022].

, C., 2020. Council Post: What Is Web 3.0?. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/01/06/what-is-web-3-0/?sh=3c120f3958df [Accessed 4 February 2022].