The Web is the common name for the World Wide Web, also known as W3 or WWW, and it was invented by the computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee in the year 1989.
Many people assume that the Web is the same as the Internet. The term "internet" is defined as the global connection between computers that makes sharing of data possible.
A webpage is a document or file written in HTML that is viewed in a browser. A web page can be accessed by entering the URL or domain name of the site in the search bar. A webpage may contain all the information we need, like text, pictures, hyperlinks to other web pages, and files.
The web has evolved a lot over time, and it has 3 versions.
Web 1.0
Web 2.0
Web 3.0
Web 1.0
Web 1.0 is the initial overview of what the internet was in the initial stages of development. Most web pages in that time period were built on HTML and were static pages. Static pages can only be used for getting information; they're just read-only. We couldn't do any fancy stuff in that period. It's like one big Wikipedia from which we can only gain information. Users are said to be like consumers, just consuming information. The time period of Web 1.0 was from 1990 to 2004.
Web 2.0
If You Are Not Paying for the Product, Then You Are the Product
Web 2.0 was the second phase of the internet and we are still using web 2.0 in our daily lives. It evolved a lot from the initial version.
In Web 2.0, we get information from free products like Google, Youtube, etc., which are centralised companies. They collect our data and sell that data to the branding companies. The branding companies will pay some money to the centralised companies and get the users' data to display ads based on their interests. Web 2.0 is said to be the "age of targeted advertising and lack of privacy". Web 2.0 is a welcome response to web users who want to participate in information. I strongly recommend watching The Social Dilemma documentary to learn more about Web 2.0 and its main activities in day-to-day life.
Web 3.0
Assume that in Web 2.0, users are the product, but in Web 3.0, you are the owner, and you can control who can and cannot access your data. Web 3.0 is mainly based on blockchain technology. A blockchain is a method of storing data. Data is stored in blocks that are linked to the previous block. Web 3.0 enables a feature where distributed users and machines are able to interact with data, and the data will be distributed or delegated away from a centralised company. In web 3.0, all the transactions or contracts are done through smart contracts. A smart contract is a computer program or a transaction protocol that is intended to automatically execute, control, or document legally relevant events and actions according to the terms of a contract or an agreement. which is done openly through the internet.
There will be no restrictions on the content you can watch, and users will be completely free.Users can be anonymous, and "Digital identity is not 100% connected to real identity."
If there are any transactions done on web 3.0, then those transactions are done openly throughout the internet, so if one does not accept it, then the other nodes or computers also have the data, which can be helpful. So it is said to be a peer-to-peer (P2P) network.