What is difference among Web 1.0, 2.0 & 3.0?

The evolution of the internet has brought about significant changes in how it functions and how users interact with it. Here’s a breakdown of the key differences between Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0:

Web 1.0 (The Static Web)

• Timeframe: 1990s to early 2000s
• Characteristics:
  • Static and read-only websites with simple HTML pages.
  • Users could only view content, not interact or contribute.
  • Limited functionality with little to no user-generated content or social features.
  • Websites were primarily informational and business-driven.
• Examples: Early websites like Yahoo Directory, GeoCities, and AOL.

Web 2.0 (The Social Web)

• Timeframe: Mid-2000s to Present
• Characteristics:
  • Dynamic, interactive, and collaborative websites.
  • Focus on user-generated content, social networking, and participation.
  • Web apps and platforms allow users to create, share, and collaborate (e.g., social media, blogs, video sharing).
  • Use of JavaScript, AJAX, and CSS for interactive features and richer user experiences.
  • The rise of platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Wikipedia.
• Examples: Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Wikipedia, Instagram.

Web 3.0 (The Semantic Web / Decentralized Web)

• Timeframe: Present - Future
• Characteristics:
  • The web becomes more intelligent and context-aware.
  • Focus on AI, blockchain, and decentralized applications (dApps).
  • Data is structured in a way that machines can better understand, interpret, and interact with it (semantic web).
  • Increased personalization and privacy, where users have more control over their data.
  • More emphasis on peer-to-peer interactions and decentralized networks.
• Examples: Ethereum (for decentralized finance), Bitcoin, DeFi platforms, Web3 technologies, AI-powered applications like Siri and Google Assistant.

Key Differences:

1. Interactivity:
   • Web 1.0: Static and limited interaction.
   • Web 2.0: Highly interactive with user participation.
   • Web 3.0: Intelligently interactive, personalized, and decentralized.
2. Data Control:
   • Web 1.0: Limited user control; information is provided by the site.
   • Web 2.0: User-generated content; users contribute and interact, but companies control the data.
   • Web 3.0: Users have greater control over their own data through decentralization (e.g., blockchain).
3. Technology:
   • Web 1.0: Basic HTML, static content.
   • Web 2.0: Richer interactivity with JavaScript, AJAX, and databases.
   • Web 3.0: AI, machine learning, blockchain, decentralized technologies.
4. User Role:
   • Web 1.0: Consumers of content.
   • Web 2.0: Creators and consumers (users actively interact, share, and produce content).
   • Web 3.0: Autonomous participants in a decentralized, intelligent system.

In short, Web 1.0 was about delivering static information, Web 2.0 enabled user interaction and social collaboration, and Web 3.0 is focused on intelligent, decentralized, and personalized web experiences.