The latest generation of Web technology is Web 3.0 (Web 3), dubbed the ‘Data-Centric Web,’ or ‘Semantic Web.’ Its ultimate goal: ‘decentralise the web,’. This version of the Web saw the birth of social media, online retailers, streaming websites, educational resources, & online personal finance platforms. Web 2.0 led major revolutions in e-commerce, social networking and technology, through its dynamic and interactive web content. It is what approximately 60% of the global population today utilises on a daily basis. Web 2.0, also known as the ‘Read and Write Web,’ was the second iteration of the Web.

Web 1.0 could only be understood by humans, requiring a ‘webmaster.’ Who was responsible for managing all website content and updating new users. Its ‘read only’ nature was characterised by the static exchange of information between users, and the websites that hosted information. This variant was known as the ‘read only’ web. The first generation of the Web, known as Web 1.0, was introduced in 1989 and ran into late 2005. The blueprint of Web technology was first outlined in 1989 by Tim Burners-Lee, depicting the three intergenerational pillars from which the web has continued to develop and grow: Whether it be reading ‘static’ online content through the original Web1.0, interacting with friends and family via social media on its successor ‘Web 2.0,’ or perhaps more recently buying and trading popular non-fungible tokens (NFTs) via ‘Web 3.0’ integration on popular Web browsers. Recent decades have seen massive developments in the way we utilise the World Wide Web (Web).

Zerocap Analyst Edward Goldman provides a timely overview of Web 3 how to access it, the tech available and under development, plus a case study on the Brave browser – currently the most popular access point for Web 3.0.

Brave internet