In 1991, British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee unveiled the World Wide Web to the world, marking the beginning of the Web 1.0 era that spanned until 2004. Web 1.0 was characterized by static webpages that were limited to "Read" functionality and lacked interactivity beyond clicking. In essence, it was a service where the majority of users could only "Read" the limited content provided by a small number of users.
As we entered the 2000s, the web experienced rapid development with the proliferation of Internet services and the rise of various devices. Users who were once limited to simply "Reading" web content began to actively "Produce" and "Share" their own content, and actively "Participate" in the online ecosystem. Web 1.0, which was characterized by simple webpages with one-way communication, evolved into Web 2.0, a platform that enabled two-way communication.
With the advent of smartphones, accessing the Internet became easier for users, and through platforms provided by companies, they could freely share services among different devices and systems. As a result, platform operators such as Naver, Google, and Facebook, who provided various services for free with simple registration, naturally gained significant influence as the role of platforms grew. Users actively utilized these services to communicate with each other and generate data.
However, in Web 2.0, the connection between users was only possible through intermediaries in the form of platforms, which strengthened the power of the companies that owned these platforms. As a response to this, the concept of the "Decentralized Web" emerged. The most significant keyword of Web 3.0, "Decentralization", can be achieved through the blockchain system.
Blockchain is a revolutionary data processing technology that distributes and stores data across multiple nodes using the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) method, without the need for a central server. With data managed by an unspecified number of nodes, there are no central authorities in control. This allows Web 3.0 to break free from centralized control, as data is encrypted and individuals can own it through an open and decentralized blockchain platform. Currently, we are witnessing the ongoing process of decentralization in various forms, such as Decentralized Applications (DApps), Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Decentralized Identifiers (DID), and more.
For the Web 1.0 generation, individual companies have owned the personal data. Since the advent of the Web 2.0 generation in the 2000s, platform companies such as Google, Facebook, Alibaba, and Amazon owned personal data. Web 3.0 can be freed from central control by encrypting personal data and allowing individuals to own it through an open and decentralized blockchain platform.
API Ecosystem Model
Owned by Individual Companies
Platform Models
Owned by Platform Companies
MyData Models
Privately Owned