What is Web3?

"What is Web3? Why is it growing in popularity? And how does it relate to the Metaverse?"

Web3 (or Web 3.0) refers to a new approach to the World Wide Web of decentralized internet services that rely on blockchain technology and encryption. This third generation of the internet incorporates concepts of decentralization, token-based economics and machine-based understanding of data, in order to provide a freer, smarter, and more engaging web browsing experience.

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Web3 follows the concepts of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 ' Web 1.0 refers to the earlier days of the World Wide Web when the internet was comprised of mostly static webpages and users consuming, as opposed to producing, content. The internet served as content delivery network to showcase curated and selected information from a small number of users to the masses.

Web 2.0, refers to our present day where the web is a platform for user-created content and social networking, but one where data is mostly centralized in a small group of big tech companies such as Google and Meta. While Web 2.0 does not relate to specific technical advancements compared to Web 1.0, it does demonstrate a difference in the design and use of the web, as self-publishing such as WordPress and social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, pioneered a new version of the Internet which focuses on user-generated content.

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Web3 now aims to create a decentralized online ecosystem by incorporate blockchain technologies, such as cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). This new version of the Internet would be build around Blockchain's core concepts of encryption and distributed computing, ultimately resulting in a safe, trusted, and immutable network of information in which individual users have more control of their data and don't require third parties to officiate exchanges. In additional, Web3 will provide for a semantic web that would more intuitive to particular user's needs by relying on artificial intelligence (AI). This semantic web would be able to comprehend the meaning of words as well as context rather use mere keywords in order to provide faster and more relevant results.

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Web3 and the Metaverse

The 3D content is being widely used in websites, games, and online services and the Web3 world is intended to be much more 3D-friendly. Gaming and e-Commerce as well as adverting and training companies are all incorporating 3D content to make more engaging experiences. The Metaverse will serve as the front-end of the interconnected Web3' the user interface through which users will be able to interact online, communicate with others, and share content. With technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), the Metaverse will offer a much more immersive and social version of the new internet.

3D/AR/VR will all play a key role in the mass adoption of Web3 tools and applications, given that the goals of Web3 is to provide a user-centric internet with better user engagement and unmediated interactions. NFTs are already becoming a prime example of using 3D design in conjunction with blockchain technology, with big player like Twitter, incorporating NFTs into their platforms. You can even showcase NFTs in AR, allowing you to make the purchase more appealing by allowing you to share your art with friends in augmented reality.

To learn more about the Metaverse, check out one of these articles:

echo3D (www.echo3D.co; Techstars '19) is a cloud platform for 3D/AR/VR that provides tools and network infrastructure to help developers & companies quickly build and deploy 3D apps, games, and content.