4 Ways Web Hosting is Changing in Web3
Web3 might not be a term that many people have heard of, but there is a chance they’ve seen its effects on the internet. If you so much as look up on Binance for example, the Bitcoin all time price chart, you’ll see some changes in how you browse the internet. So, what are these changes? How will we, as users, see the internet changing soon thanks to Web3? We explore in this guide.
What is Web3?
To understand it, Web3 is considered the third generation of the internet. It’s a catch-all term for a large amount of changes we’re going to see as the internet evolves. You will have heard of some of these, like cryptocurrency and NFTs, but some concepts are now breaching the mainstream.
The main difference that facilitates all these features is that websites and apps are being hosted across a “decentralized” network of computers, bypassing the current method of centralized servers owned by companies storing your data and content. The idea is that power is given back to the people that way. It’s why you might have heard about the idea of people getting paid by companies to share their data in the future. The game’s name is Control and Giving it Back to the User, and a range of changes to the internet will come with it.
Democratization of the Web
As mentioned, one big argument for pushing concepts like cryptocurrencies, BTC buy, NFTs, and other Web3 ideas is the idea of democracy: allowing a more level market for, for instance, stocks and art respectively.
How does Web3 aim to get us there? Well, Web3 allows users to have more control over their online presence. It allows users to rely less on centralized concepts, such as the way cryptocurrency doesn’t go through a bank and fosters a more equitable and open internet.
It’s an excellent idea if it comes to fruition, but as NFTs’ steep rise and fall proves, this might be easier said than done. The biggest roadblock might be the people accepting this new world democracy, which will be necessary to mainstream it.
Blockchain Integration
A lot of these features are implemented through blockchain integration. With the blockchain, transactions are final and automatically recorded, allowing for greater security, transparency, and anonymity.
Blockchain is a technology that is being applied to a lot of different products, enabling websites to interact with decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts. This opens up new possibilities for decentralized web services and applications. The Fintech industry obviously loves it, but you’re likely to see it in gaming, as brands like Ubisoft move closer to a crypto-focussed game and healthcare where it is used to protect patients’ data better.
Ownership and Monetization
Part of this idea of democratizing data and finance is the concept of control and offering it to the user rather than the corporations. Web3 hosting allows website owners to have ownership and control over their content and data rather than providing it to the platform. For example, creators on YouTube can monetize their websites through tokenization, NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), and other Web3 monetization models; the data and content would be in their control rather than YouTube’s.
This also means that Web3 decentralized hosting makes it much harder for authorities or entities to censor or take down websites, which is why a lot of people like the concept of allowing for truly free speech and open access to information.
We might see this ripple effect on regulation and maybe even copyright law when content control is transferred from the platform to the creator. However, creators will still have to abide by company policies, so it will not likely be a violent change.
Improved Security and Privacy
One major reason people would want control of their data and content is privacy. The term “It’s on the Internet forever” is likely to haunt a lot of people, especially when you can’t so much as do grocery shopping without giving the Internet your card details.
Decentralized hosting networks in Web3 aim to prioritize user privacy and data security. Features like encryption, distributed storage, and censorship resistance are core principles, enabling users to take advantage of a more secure environment for hosting websites and web applications. This means that users can feel a lot more secure when they add their details or finances to new apps that may not have the reputation that would ordinarily give them the illusion of safety. To be clear, be careful who you give your data to beyond knowing their brand name.
Conclusion
There is likely to be a lot of changes in the internet over the next few years, some more subtle than others. Depending on how much you keep up with the tech headlines, you might not even notice these changes until they are applied to aspects of your everyday life, but the internet is now part of everything, so that’s likely to be caught in the near future.
