A brief history of the evolution of the Internet

Websites and web applications have changed dramatically over the last decades. They have evolved from static sites to data-driven sites that users can interact with and change.

Web 1.0
The original Internet was based on what is now known as Web 1.0. The term was coined in 1999 by author and web designer Darci DiNucci, when distinguishing between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. Back in the early 1990s, websites were built using static HTML pages that only had the ability to display information – there was no way for users to change the data.

Web 2.0
That all changed during the late 1990s when the shift toward a more interactive Internet started taking form. With Web 2.0, users were able to interact with websites through the use of databases, server-side processing, forms, and social media.

This brought forth a change from a static to a more dynamic web. Web 2.0 brought an increased emphasis on user-generated content and interoperability between different sites and applications. Web 2.0 was less about observation and more about participation. By the mid-2000s, most websites made the transition to Web 2.0.

The future
When looking at the history of the Internet, the evolution of a more semantically intelligent web makes sense. Data was first statically presented to users. Then users could interact with that data dynamically. Now all of that data will be used by algorithms to improve user experience and make the Web more personalized and familiar.

Web 3.0, while not fully defined, could leverage peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies like blockchain, open-source software, virtual reality, Internet of Things (IoT), and more.

Currently, many applications are limited to run only on one operating system. Web 3.0 could enable applications to be more device-agnostic, meaning they would be able to run on many different types of hardware and software without any added development costs.

Web 3.0 also aims to make the Internet more open and decentralized. In the current framework, users have to rely on network and cellular providers that surveil the information going through their systems. With the advent of distributed ledger technologies, that soon might change, and users could take back ownership of their data.

Reference:

Binance, n.d., The Evolution of the Internet - Web 3.0 Explained, Binance.com., viewed 3 June 2021, 