On June 10, many were surprised by the news that TBD, an affiliate of Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s Block, announced the launch of the Web5 platform. Web 1, 2, 3 and now Web 5? But where is Web 4? Those who don’t care about number sequences can download Web 7.
But first, so that no one is left behind in understanding this article, let’s quickly talk about the stages of the evolution of the Web. If you already know the topic, you can move on to the next one.
From the static web to the collaborative web
In the beginning, there was what we now call Web1, at the time known simply as the web. At this stage, the first websites, portals and online services were developed, and users could only read the information, without the possibility of direct interaction. Interaction between users was not possible. Those who accessed the web were limited to consuming the content made available in a one-way communication network and, for this reason, Web1 was also called “Static Web”.
With the evolution of Web support technologies, Web2 came gradually with the appearance and proliferation of social networks and all the applications such as blogs, forums and podcasts that made new forms of participatory communication possible.
In fact, thanks to the development of these new tools, users began to communicate with each other and share their own content. In this step, the user, who was previously only a passive actor, became the owner of the creation and management of online content, building new processes and interactions, for which Web 2 has been baptized as the “Collaborative Web”. .
When did Web 3 emerge?
Like the other stages of the web, it is difficult to pinpoint when Web3 was born. This is because web development is a process and as such does not have a set start date. However, many argue that the idea of Web3 emerged around 2006, although the term Web3 was not coined until 2014 by Gavin Wood. It is supposed to be the next step of the Internet. And, I say supposedly, because it is still in its infancy and, therefore, there is still no certainty as to what the next stage of the Web will really be.
Keep in mind that there is no single creator of Web3, rather it is being developed as a collaboration of different individuals and organizations building on each other. But in general, those involved in smart contract platforms on blockchains like Ethereum, EOS and TRON are the ones who are undoubtedly leading the construction of Web3.
It is important to note here that one of the most popular programming libraries used to write Ethereum code is called web3.js. And there is also a foundation, the Web3 Foundation, run by the founders of the Polkadot network.
Broadly speaking, the main goal of Web3 is to try to solve Web2’s biggest problem: the collection of personal data by private networks that enable surveillance capitalism, a veritable marketplace of future behavior.
And for this, Web3’s main focus of innovation is to be a decentralized network of networks, not controlled by any entity, made up of platforms that use consensus mechanisms that everyone can trust. In it, decentralized applications (DApps) would be built on open networks, and no entity could collect data without the user’s consent, nor limit or censor anyone’s access. In other words, according to the Web3 Foundation’s own website, its mission is to create “a decentralized and fair Internet in which users control their own data, their identity and their destiny.”
The second focus of innovation promised by the developers of Web3 is that these decentralized networks would allow the transfer of value or “money” from the Internet directly between user accounts, without intermediaries. And, these two features – decentralization and internet money – which are still in their infancy, are the keys to understanding Web3.
However, many critics they have voiced its concern about the current Web3, such as its dependence on financing from venture capital investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, which would compromise its main focus of innovation: offering the user a truly decentralized web.
Ok, now that everyone is on the same page, let’s clear up what has undoubtedly become the question of many after Jack Dorsey said that the Bitcoin-powered “Web 5” will replace Web3.
Has Web4 disappeared?
After Web3 – the term encompasses all the blockchain and decentralized technologies that are being built around the world – the next stage of the Web is not really a new version, but rather an alternative version of what we already have (Web2) or we are building (Web3).
The Web4, also known as “Mobile Web”, is one that has the necessary infrastructure to adapt to the mobile environment. Imagine a web that connects all mobile devices in the real and virtual world in real time.
Well, Web4 allows mobility and voice interaction between the user and the robots. If in the previous websites the focus was on the user interacting with the Internet while in front of the desk and in front of the computer, the focus of Web4 is on allowing the user to use and distribute the information regardless of its location through devices. mobiles.
Therefore, Web4 changes the relationship between humans and robots, which will have a symbiotic interaction. In this fourth stage of the Web, humans will have constant access to robots, and everyday life will depend more and more on machines.
“Web5”, or the “Emotional Web”
Although many only heard about Web5 for the first time when the headlines echoed Jack Dorsey’s statements, the truth is that the term is not new.
this will likely be our most important contribution to the internet. proud of the team. #web5
(RIP web3 VCs)https://t.co/vYlVqDyGE3 https://t.co/eP2cAoaRTH
— jack (@jack) June 10, 2022
To get an idea, Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the web, gave a TED Talks in 2009 in which he already talked about Web5: “Open, connected and intelligent web”, which he called the Emotional Web.
According to the creator of the web, Web5 would be the Emotional Web. In reality, the true form of Web5 is still forming, and based on the indications we have so far, this web also known as the Symbiotic Web will be an interconnected network that communicates with us as we communicate with each other (like an assistant staff).
This website will be very powerful and will work entirely with the (emotional) interaction between humans and computers. The interaction will become a daily habit for many people based on neurotechnology. Here it is worth mentioning that, despite surveillance capitalism, today Web2 “itself” is “emotionally” neutral, which means that it does not perceive the feelings and emotions of users. Now, with Web5 proposing to be an emotional web, this may change in the future. An example of this is WeFeelFine, an organization that maps people’s emotions through headphones.
Along these lines, in Tim Berners-Lee’s Web5, users will interact with content that interacts with their emotions or facial recognition changes. In this context, it seems that “Web5”, announced by Jack Dorsey, has nothing to do with the Emotional or Symbiotic Web imagined by Tim Berners-Lee in 2009.
What is Jack Dorsey’s Web5 about?
TBD, a subsidiary within Block (formerly known as Square), was founded in July 2021 with the aim of to create “an open platform for developers” focused on decentralized finance (DeFi) and Bitcoin (BTC). Now TBD has as its first objective build up “Web 5: an extra decentralized web platform”, where users will have full control of their own data.
Web5: An extra decentralized web platformhttps://t.co/LDW3MZ8tON
— TBD (@TBD54566975) June 10, 2022
“This will probably be our most important contribution to the Internet. Proud of the team. (“Rest in peace, Web3 investors)”, said Dorsey in a tweet on the morning of June 10. According to TBD’s presentation on Web5, the main problem of the Internet is the lack of an “identity” layer: “In today’s Web, identity and personal data become the property of third parties”, and that is why Web5 will focus in decentralizing identity, data storage, as well as its applications.
TDB also claims that it will create an additional decentralized web platform to solve this problem.
Possibilities: The future is a process, not a destination
Much of what Web3 critics call a “false promise” seems much harder to achieve with Bitcoin alone, at least for now. The decentralization of Bitcoin and its priority in terms of cybersecurity are detrimental to storage space and, above all, to the speed of transactions, although the advances of the Lightning Network are promising.
Also, some features of Web3 already seem possible through layers built on top of Bitcoin. Hiro is building smart contracts using Bitcoin. Stacks was created to enable DeFi, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), applications, and smart contracts in Bitcoin. Not forgetting that since 2012, the equivalent of NFTs and ERC-20 tokens already exist on the Bitcoin blockchain in the form of colored coins.
In addition, there are already decentralized identity solutions based on decentralized identifiers (DIDs) in Web3, such as the one developed in the Identity Overlay Network (ION) that is built using the Sidetree Protocol on top of the Bitcoin blockchain. Add to this the fact that it is unclear what alternative avenues will be used to finance and build Dorsey’s new version of Web3.
Will this new attempt by TBD to create a decentralized layer on top of the Web via the Bitcoin blockchain solve current concerns about Web3?
Of course, the more initiatives that focus on achieving a decentralized web, the better for users. But the gist here is that such initiatives can bring together all the technical and financial resources and bright people who commit to the hard work and effort needed to make the decentralized web a reality.
The future is a process, not a destination.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, readers should do their own research when making a decision.
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
Tatiana Revoredo He is a founding member of the Oxford Blockchain Foundation and is a blockchain strategist at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. She is also an expert in enterprise applications of blockchain at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the director of strategy for The Global Strategy. Tatiana has been invited by the European Parliament to the Intercontinental Blockchain Conference and was invited by the Brazilian Parliament to the public hearing on the bill 2303/2015. She is the author of two books: Blockchain: Everything you need to know Y Cryptocurrencies on the international scene: What is the position of central banks, governments and authorities on cryptocurrencies?