As a Web3 founder, I’m deep in the thick of it. But even then, I find myself depending on Web2 platforms. Take LinkedIn, for instance. That’s as Web2 as it gets. It helps me connect with all the professionals I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with — and then some. It’s like an old pair of boots — comfortable and familiar. I know eyeballs reach my content there; and that means I’m sticking around writing stories.
The move from Web2 to Web3, if it ever happens, will not happen overnight. It’s more like a slow and steady evolution. Web3 brings some extraordinary concepts to the table — like decentralization. It’s got the potential to revolutionize the whole darn internet. But Web2 already exists and has carved out a place in our hearts-and-habits.
Web2 has users, and its infrastructure is solid as a rock. Users now expect blazing speed and load times which no blockchain-based dApp can match. Doom scrolling will be a hard habit to break.
A switch to Web3 means it’s gotta offer the same ease and functionality, or even better. Web3 might come up with decentralized alternatives to Web2 services, but it’s gonna take time, education around why it’s fundamentally better, and widespread adoption for folks to jump on board.
Web3 promises to give us better privacy, security, and ownership of our data through decentralized networks and blockchains. It’s got smart contracts that can do fancy programmable transactions and open up new doors for decentralized applications (dApps). It’s the kind of innovation that can empower folks, cut out the middlemen, and make the internet more transparent and open for all. Whoop-de-doo!
We should have started with Web3 out of the gate, but we didn’t. Shoulda woulda coulda.
As we navigate the ever-changing waters of the internet, Web3 is gonna coexist with Web2 for a long, long time. Web2 platforms will keep serving as the foundation of our online lives, while Web3 technologies slowly gain ground and reshape certain parts of the web.
You might notice these changes; or you may not. We’re still building the basic infrastructure, after all.
It’s gonna take all of us — entrepreneurs, builders, innovators, businesses, and users — working together to embrace, educate our communities and adopt decentralized technologies. That’s how we’ll steer the ship toward a more decentralized, secure and user-friendly internet.
The Web3 Revolution is here; it’s now. But we’ve just started down a long, long road and it’s not exactly a straight shot to the finish line.
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David All is the founder and CEO of Change.Gallery. He is a former speechwriter in the US Senate, leadership communications director in the US House of Representatives, and pioneered social media in advocacy and politics. On Twitter he is one of the few followed by both Barack Obama and Newt Gingrich. Dive deeper at linktr.ee/davidall.
