Introduction: From Web 1.0 to the Internet of Users

For more than three decades, the Internet has been a transformative tool in global society. Its evolution has gone through different phases, from a static consultation space to a network that allows creating, sharing, and now owning digital content. Today, Web3 is presented as the culmination of this process: a decentralized network where users not only consume and generate content, but are also active in its governance and economy.

Web1: The Age of Reading

Web 1.0, in force between 1991 and the beginning of 2000, was primarily an informational network. Websites such as digital encyclopedias and online newspapers offered content that users could only read, without the possibility of interaction. It was the era of static pages and simple HTML. This phase was crucial, as it introduced the notion of a globally accessible digital space, although still limited in terms of participation.

Web2: Interaction with Centralization

With the arrival of Web2 in 2004, a new era centered on interaction began. Social networks, collaborative platforms, forums, and wikis emerged. Users began to take on an active role as content producers. However, this was accompanied by strong centralization: a few companies (the so-called Big Tech) began to dominate large portions of global traffic and information.

Platforms like Facebook, Google, and Amazon accumulate personal data and control the monetization of other people's content. This concentration of power has been the subject of growing criticism, as it involves not only privacy issues but also a loss of digital autonomy.

Web3: Return to Decentralization

In response to these limitations, Web3 emerged, a concept driven by the crypto community and developers that proposes an Internet where control returns to the hands of users. Blockchain is its fundamental pillar, allowing the creation of systems that do not rely on a central server or a single entity to verify the authenticity of data, transactions, or decisions.

Ethereum, launched in 2015, popularized smart contracts, which gave way to the emergence of decentralized applications (dApps). From there, concepts such as distributed governance, sovereign digital identity, and tokens became new ways of understanding digital ownership and value.

Social and Philosophical Implications

Beyond its technical aspect, Web3 represents an ideological stance on how the Internet should be organized. It promotes a logic of trust without intermediaries, collaboration without hierarchies, and community above corporations. For many, it is about recovering the initial ideals of the Web as an open, accessible, and democratic space.

Conclusion: What now?

Web3 is not a magic bullet, nor is it without challenges. From scalability issues to barriers to mass adoption, its consolidation as a viable alternative is still ongoing. However, its very existence has forced us to rethink current models. In this new paradigm, control, identity, and ownership are no longer monopolies, but distributed rights. Perhaps the future of the internet isn't in the hands of one company... but in yours.