What Is Web 3 Economy

May 17, 2021

Blockchain is referred to as the Distributed World Computer. It enables a concept called Web 3, that promises to transform the entire internet, this time from the ground up. This single-use case by itself makes Blockchain one of the most important inventions of this century.

The journey of the Web

Web 1: Initially we had stand-alone computers. Web 1 started with the advent of the internet. Centrally stored data can now be transferred and shared between two parties. This gave easy access and enabled replication of data, however at a cost of data security! Every time we send data over the internet, the server service provider takes over control, and the risk of data piracy increases.

Web 2: Web 2 brought with it digital commerce, all moderated by a central trusted third party. Social Media platforms like Facebook and digital marketplaces like Amazon are Web 2 pioneers. People are now able to monetize their content or buy and sell goods. However, the transfer of money is still controlled by big corporations. Fiat Money is used as a medium of transfer. All digital transactions remain non-native and just a representation of the fiat value. Web 2 also created the much popular P2P Platforms. However, these platforms also had a single point of failure.

The Web 2 internet has various drawbacks. It is a capitalist network where the user gets exploited. Some notable problems include:

· Individuals do not control data

· There is no native settlement currency (with inflation control)

· Server-based data storage creates a single point of failure

· Monetization of individual’s data by third parties

· High cost of information handling

Web 3: Web 3 brings in trust.

Source: Blockchain Hub

Blockchain ensures decentralized storage of data. It also creates a native settlement layer, all orchestrated through smart contracts. The internet suddenly has its programmable economy! Blockchain enables Web 3. The governance happens within the network and the need for an external third party is eliminated. This saves a lot of money and brings in trust. People now can settle agreements on the web without the need of trusting each other personally. Web 3 is not a quick front-end fix. It’s a proper back end overall. All real-life apps will one day move to the blockchain to become a dApp.

Microeconomies

The payment system on the internet is not creator focussed. It is focused on the companies that run the platforms. For example, in YouTube, the money from the advertisers does not pay the creators directly. YouTube pays the creators. Who knows what their margins are? Do they talk about operating costs? What if blockchain can provide safer data storage at one-tenth of the cost? What if blockchain can also pay the viewers for viewing. This is a paradigm shift. Similarly, Facebook sees your search trends, understands your emotions, and directs focussed advertisements towards you. They have often been accused of selling your data. Enter Web 3 wallets. Wallets like Metamask, Sollet, Yoroi, Polkadot.js enable us to perform transactions natively over the internet for the content we consume. Brave Browser pays us for the advertisements we see. Some important applications include.

· Social Media

· Streaming

· Shopping Services

· Music streaming

· Bookselling through NFTs

What will happen next?

Web 3 has already created a strong foundation. It is however facing problems like lack of user adoption, and also UX-related challenges. Interoperability has still not been properly solved. However, these are temporary problems. These will be fixed in the long run. We will soon see an array of big organizations testing their platforms in the blockchain. This includes social media, streaming platforms, or digital marketplaces. As this is an entire paradigm shift, showing the value to the bigger population will take time. Till that time new projects will come up and build new features. We are as such still early and in an envious position to see the universe of Web 3 expanding in front of our eyes.

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loslakers

May 18, 2021

Ruma, you have gift of explaining difficult concepts in such a concise and easy-to-follow manner! I think that large companies still have a stronghold on the market with web 2 because these are apps and websites that we grew up using & trusting, and sometimes with no reliable alternatives. However, with the development of new platforms that fairly pay contributors, creators, and users, I think we'll slowly start to see a shift to more widespread adoption of web 3. Even now, I think a lot of people don't realize that with the Facebooks and Googles of the world, WE are the product, and they generate billions using our data and insights. I'm hoping that all the buzz that crypto is generating nationally, will have people digging deeper to these problems.

My big fear with the rise in popularity of crypto as an investment vehicle is that a lot of new investors who FOMOed into coins as a way to make a quick buck may not be able to handle the erratic swings of the market (or a bear market) and exit with a big loss. I'd hate to see people lose money, then chalk up all of crypto as a big "scam" and not look into the underlying technology of the blockchain any further. I love articles on cryptowriter because they're trying to combat this and really educate us on all things blockchain.

Lastly, I feel that with the rise of NFTs, people are finally starting to realize the power of the blockchain, and how artists can take back control & ownership of their art. I think it's a tangible "foot in the door" for most people to start to see how else the blockchain can affect our lives positively. Hopefully, it's the start of a widespread revolution of decentralization and a transfer of ownership back to the everyday masses. As you've stated, there's still a long way to go to create trust and familiarity in these new systems, but the groundwork is starting to be laid out and I'm confident that we're slowly progressing towards the future!

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