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Web2 vs. Web3

Web3 user personas differ from Web2 ones in the following respects:

  • Data ownership
  • User Identity
  • Economics
  • Interaction
  • Privacy, Transparency, Trust

TL;DR

Factors Web2 Web3
Data Ownership: Control Providers, Platforms, Organization Users
User Identity: Empowerment Fragmented, Providers, Platforms Users
Economics: Driving Force Providers, Platforms, Organization DAOs, Users
Privacy, Transparency, Trust: PoV Providers, Platforms, Organization Users

Data ownership

Control: Organizations vs. Users

In Web2, user’s data is owned by the service providers and the centralized platform, infrastructure organizations. In Web3, users own the data and digital assets. This ensures complete privacy to the user.

Identity

Empowerment: Fragmented vs. Self-sovereign

Unlike Web2 where centralized authentication providers enable user identity, in Web3 users own their identity, self-sovereign identities (SSI). These identities are typically wallet addresses or secure private keys used to sign blockchain transactions.

Economics

Driving force: Organizations vs. Users

In Web2, users have little or no role in monetizing interactions. In Web3, users actively shape economic models. They earn and use digital assets like tokens, NFTs, and participate in staking or DAO voting.

Interactions

Model: Hub and spoke vs. Peer to Peer, Permissioned vs. permissionless

In Web2, users rarely interact directly with each other. Organizations control and enable most user interactions.

Privacy, Transparency, Trust

PoV: Organizations vs. users

Web3 user data privacy, interaction transparency creates trust in the system whereas in Web2 user is forced to trust the organization offering service for data privacy. In Web2, privacy, transparency and trust are governed by the organization not the users. Cryptographic data security provides safer, uncensored data storage and access environments though prone to hacks and scams.