Web 1.0 (read-only): started in 1991 when the first website appeared. Its feature is that users can only read information, similar to reading newspapers or watching TV on the Internet. Typical companies include Yahoo and AOL. [1]
Web 2.0 (read-write): started in 2004 when Facebook was born. Its feature is that users can not only read information, but also create content and interact, such as liking, commenting, posting videos, etc. Typical companies include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Airbnb and Uber. [1] The business model of Web 2.0 companies is:
Web 3.0 compared with Web 1.0 and Web 2.0
Attract users with free or cheap products.
Get user data.
Make money by pushing advertisements. [1]
Web 3.0 (read-write-own): Based on blockchain technology, users can not only read information and create content, but also own their own content and data. [2] Web 3.0 is not only a technological innovation, but also in the virtual world of the Internet:
Using blockchain as the underlying architecture logic. An economic system isolated from reality has been derived.
There is no central manager, and it is maintained and operated through an incentive mechanism.
It has its own currency, organizational form, and service model. [3]
Advantages of Web 3.0:
Data ownership: Users own their own data and are no longer controlled and used by the platform. [2]
Decentralization: No central control, more secure and transparent. [3]
New economic system: Based on cryptocurrency, a fairer and more transparent value exchange can be achieved. [3, 4]
In summary, the biggest difference and advantage of Web 3.0 compared to Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 is that users can own their own data and content and participate in a decentralized economic system. [2, 3]