From Web 1.0 to 3.0: Celebrating the Amazing Evolution of the Internet Over the Decades
Introduction
In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee introduced the world to the internet- a tool that has transformed our lives and continues to evolve.
At the time, the internet was more like a project, and we were beta testers. The first internet browser, called WorldWideWeb, was an application that consisted of all plain text. In other words, there wasn’t any design to speak of, just a bunch of words, links and images.
Many big companies didn’t see the potential of the web back then, but today their websites are some of the biggest successes online. Today, the internet is a force for positive change, expanding access to knowledge and resources while connecting people across the globe.
Web 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 are terms that have been thrown around a lot recently in the tech circles. These words refer to the progression of the internet through different ages of technology and design. Without further ado, let’s explore the history of Web 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 and how we got here:
1.0 was the original version of the internet; in this era, most users were consumers who passively viewed content created by others.
2.0 made its debut in 2004 and gave rise to social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. This iteration of the internet led to increased user activity online. It facilitated an exchange: users provided access to their data for unrestricted use of platforms like Facebook or services like Gmail.
But 3.0, also known as ‘the decentralised net,’ promises something different: instead of giving away your personal information and privacy rights when you go online, you can take back control!
Web 1.0: 1990-2004 – The Early Days
The first wave of the internet was all about publishing information. It was also known as the ‘static web’.
You could publish a page and then link to other pages, but you couldn’t do much with your site. You could then use search engines to find what you were looking for on this static web-after all, it was just text!
Over time, people started using email to communicate directly with others rather than sharing their thoughts on public forums like newsgroups or bulletin boards (BBSes).
2.0: 2004- 2010 – The Social Internet
The term Web 2.0 was coined by Tim O’Reilly in 2004 to describe the second generation of the WorldWideWeb (WWW), where users could interact with each other, and the web was becoming a platform for collaboration and interaction.
Web 2.0 introduces several new concepts that differentiate it from 1.0:
Social media: allows users to communicate with one another on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Networking: enables users to create profiles that can be shared across multiple social networks such as LinkedIn.
Content creation: allows users to share content like videos or photos.
E-commerce: enables users to buy things online via marketplaces like eBay.
3.0: The Semantic Internet
The semantic internet is a collection of data, but it’s also a collection of things.
It’s the next evolution of the internet, where every object online is connected to other entities, and you can search through all of them using keywords as opposed to specific pages on websites.
People are often confused about what ‘Semantic Web’ means. They think it’s about creating websites with many words that describe something in detail. Anyone else can read those words to understand what the original writer was trying to say, such as Wikipedia.
This isn’t exactly accurate; it’s more like trying to create an imaginary world where all information has been organised into one giant database for humans (and machines) to access as needed for whatever purpose they want.
Our Closing Thoughts
It may not seem obvious, but many of the modern-day technologies we all use daily have their origins in the design of the WorldWideWeb. Thanks to its open system and powerful and innovative ideas, the web has inspired new thinking in technology and innovation over the years.
Understanding the history of the worldwideweb is essential to understanding web development in general. It provides context for the innovations that have taken place since Tim Berners-Lee brought his idea for the world wide web to real life.
We can’t underestimate the role that historical context plays in shaping our perception of what’s possible with the technology available at our fingertips today, and it’s essential to have that perspective if we want to continue innovating and pushing forward.
