The False Dilemma of Web 3 Versus 2
Because we not only stand on the shoulders of giants. On the web, they interweave.
Given the buzzwords like “The Metaverse” and “Web 3” are increasing in popularity, there is the inevitable backlash of people pushing back. Some remind us there is so much opportunity left in Web 2. Example:
Then there are others that others that are a bit more dismissive.
While it’s true that crowds can get caught up in a fad, it was only 17-years ago that O’Reilly popularized Web 2.0. I remember scoffing at this because, so what? Yeah we have these weird Flash websites (that typically had a High School art project vibe) and yes we could do some simple animations and page updates with Javascript. But was it REALLY significant enough to pronounce a new web?
In hindsight, yes. We’ve seen an outright explosion of Javascript based frameworks helping to power much of the web. End-users are accustomed to use real-time collaborative tools made possible by the fluidity allowed by all this Web 2.0 goodness (buzzword or not).
Now the new kid is on the block, and Web 1 and Web 2 are feeling… left out.
But here’s the thing. It is true that the most important things that exist on the web today are Web 2 with a strong foundation on Web 1. And Web 2 is by no means fully done growing and expanding and changing the world. But that is not where the attention and energy is. Consider one of my colleagues, who has also been building websites since the early 2000s.
There is a party vibe going on in Web 3. It’s exciting. It’s expansive. It’s full of vaporware and false promises. Many things will fail. There is money to be made in lost in the mania of speculation. There are celebrities and influencers rushing in. There are developers who will never know what a LAMP stack is writing smart contracts and building an entirely new experience of the web. This is why it is Web 3.
Similar to O’Reilly’s decree of Web 2.0, it’s easy to laugh at how inferior Web 3 is on many fronts. But this is still early days. We may look back from the year 2030, and be filled with nostalgia for having lived through such an explosion of innovation and chaos.
Web 2 won’t go away for decades.
But what will likely happen is that these different eras of tech will layer or interweave together. It’s not an either/or, although it will sometimes feel and be marketed as such.
I just hope that people dunking on Web 3 don’t decide to sit on sidelines until it’s inevitably mainstream. There is so much opportunity to help shape this new world, versus having it happen to us.