What is Web3 & what is it all about?

First, there was web1 – aka the internet we all know and love. Then there was web2 – the user-generated web, heralded by the arrival of social media. Now, wherever we look, people are talking about web3 (or sometimes, web 3.0) – the supposed next big evolutionary leap forward of the internet. But what is it, exactly? What is Web3 All About?

Does Web3 cost a lot?

Important Web3 features, like Sign-in with Ethereum, are already available for anyone to use at zero cost. But, the relative cost of transactions is still prohibitive to many. Web3 is less likely to be utilized in less-wealthy, developing nations due to high transaction fees.

Is Web3 a headache?

It sounds like a headache. Some people are sceptical about the Web3 utopia. “Web3 is introducing friction, without solving any real problem,” says Ten Oever. A lot of the claims behind Web3 – such as distributed architecture and decentralisation – are better achieved without blockchains, sceptics reckon.

Can you own a Web3 platform as a collective?

As well as owning your data in Web3, you can own the platform as a collective, using tokens that act like shares in a company. DAOs let you coordinate decentralized ownership of a platform and make decisions about its future.