Web3 is one of tech’s biggest talking points of 2023. While, to some extent, it’s already here, the next few years will see Web3 eking into the lives of mainstream internet users rather than an exclusive group of trailblazers and leading experts.
Here’s what you need to know about its impending impact on web design, and why it shouldn’t have you running to bury your head in the sand.
What is Web3?
There’s no easy answer to this question. Web3 is a term used to describe the next iteration of the World Wide Web – one that is facilitated by blockchain technology (the same technology used to support cryptocurrency) and, as a result, decentralised. There are a lot of promises tied up in the impending arrival of Web3 – including the very exciting (but also abstract and complex) metaverse, and no one really knows exactly what shape it will take just yet.
It is expected that the internet will no longer see reams of data gathered and held by the biggest names in tech – Google, for instance. Instead, ownership will be spread across many participants and, as a result, create more secure and more private spaces. For the average internet user, Web3 can easily sound too technical to really feel more accessible or meaningfully different from what we know now. In essence, Web3 is about transparency, user-centrism, greater control over our data and digital footprints, and free from some of the biggest drawbacks Web2 has shown itself to have.
How does the metaverse play into it?
The metaverse is not synonymous with Web3, although the two concepts are discussed side-by-side so often that you could be forgiven for thinking that they are one and the same. In short, Web3 facilitates the metaverse – like all the technical aspects (lighting, sound, sound effects, special effects) that go into creating a play. Those technical aspects are not in and of themselves ‘the metaverse’, but you really need them to create the metaverse in any meaningful way.
The metaverse is represented by virtual spaces for socialising. Something much more immersive than a Facebook feed, with digital worlds and avatars socialising a lot more like we do in real life.
Again, it’s still very abstract, but the arrival of Web3 marks a big step toward those digital spaces.
What does that mean for website design?
Since Web3 is much more concerned with those technical aspects, its impact on web design is much the same. It’s not inherently about creating digital worlds instead of your average company website – that will (or, then again, won’t) come later on. While the metaverse may impact the ways in which websites are made with the user experience in mind, Web3 won’t have a big bearing on any design choices.
GDPR in a Post-Web2 world
GDPR has been a major, stop-everything talking point for any business operating any sort of website online for the past few years. It’s the regulatory framework offering stronger and fairer protections for user data, and its importance can never be understated.
Theoretically, with individual users having complete control over their own data, GDPR will skulk off into the wings never to return for an encore. Why? Because GDPR marks a clear distinction between the ones with the data and the ones in control of it.
This could drastically change what SMEs need to consider as they’re building and growing their digital presence. Then again, that’s not to say all will be simple – there are still data privacy challenges bound up in Web3.
Immutability
One of the biggest benefits of blockchain technology is the fact that it creates unalterable, permanent records. This is one of the reasons why cryptocurrency can operate the way that it does, and it’s going to represent a cornerstone of Web3.
For sites operating with those immutable records, business credibility and integrity are much easier to convey to users – of course, that’s only when the average internet user begins to understand the basics. It won’t happen overnight, but it will give you the opportunity to offer better security without the budget of a large-scale enterprise.
An Emphasis on Sustainability
Blockchain is powerful, and with great power comes a massive carbon footprint. It’s highly likely that Web3 will feature many more attempts to make sites greener – and that responsibility will lie with individual businesses.
Better Accessibility
While the ideas and technologies behind Web3 – and Web3’s basic definition – may seem far-flung and inaccessible to the average layperson, it’s not going to turn into a virtual world only navigable to the experts.
WordPress is arguably the most accessible and best-supported CMS – that’s why we use it for our own website designs. One of its biggest benefits is the fact that it’s served by a huge community of developers and experts – and, already, WordPress is being propelled into a new era by Web3 WP.
Web3 WP is a group of users looking to equip the CMS and its users with all the tools and plugins they could need to address the new challenges and reap the new rewards bound up in Web3. For anyone using a well-designed website underpinned by a ready-to-evolve platform like WordPress, Web3 doesn’t need to be a daunting prospect. It’ll arrive gradually, bit by bit, and empower all of us with the right tools to thrive.
