Web1 to Web3: The rise of decentralized social media

The evolution of social media has been a fascinating journey. It started in the late 1990s when basic message board platforms and chat rooms dominated. This was a time when users were more concerned with anonymity than personal branding, and social networks were few and far between.

Then came Web2 social media, which marked a significant shift in the way people interacted with each other online. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn became mainstream with their scores of users worldwide, who had the power to share photos, videos, and other multimedia content. Personal branding became a critical aspect of Web2 social media, with users carefully curating their online persona to reflect their real-life identity — albeit an idealized version of it. The rise of social in Web2 also led to the emergence of influencer marketing, where brands collaborated with popular social media personalities to reach their target audience.

Now, we're on the cusp of a new era with the emergence of Web3 social media. Powered by blockchain technology, the third iteration of social media promises to offer users more control over their data and more privacy than ever before. Platforms like Mastodon, Damus and others are leading the charge in this new wave of social, providing users with decentralized alternatives to traditional social networks.

Web1 origins: The age of message boards

In the early days of Web1, social media as we know it today did not exist. Instead, online communication was limited mainly to onsite and offsite message boards, forums, and email listservs. These platforms allowed individuals to connect with others with similar interests and engage in discussions and debates. While less sophisticated than modern social media, these early online communities paved the way for the social media revolution that was to come.

• Usenet: Usenet is one of the oldest online discussion systems, dating back to the late 1970s. It consists of a collection of newsgroups, each focused on a specific topic. Users can post messages to these newsgroups, which other users can read.

• Egroups: Founded in 1997, it allowed users to create and manage email-based discussion groups on various topics. Users could subscribe to these groups to receive and participate in group discussions via email. In 2000, Yahoo acquired the service and rebranded it to Yahoogroups. In 2019, Yahoo pulled the plug on Yahoogroups.

• The CompuServe Forums: CompuServe was an early online service offering various features, including email and discussion forums. The CompuServe forums were among the most popular online communities in the 1980s and 1990s.

##Web2 transition: The social media era

Web2 social media brought a range of new platforms and tools that revolutionized how we share and consume content online. Social media sites like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter became household names, offering users a range of features and functionalities that were not possible before.

These platforms allow users to easily share photos, videos, and other user-generated content with friends and followers while providing opportunities for businesses and brands to connect with their target audience in new and innovative ways.

Overall, Web2 social media marked a turning point in the evolution of the internet, paving the way for the next generation of social media platforms we are now starting to see with Web3.

• Friendster: Founded in 2002. It was considered one of the first social networking sites. Friendster allowed users to create profiles, connect with friends, and discover new people. It was one of the most popular social networking sites — until MySpace arrived.

• MySpace: Founded in 2003. MySpace was a social networking site that allowed users to create profiles, share music, and connect with friends. It was the most popular social networking site in 2006 but eventually lost out to Facebook.

• Facebook: Founded in 2004. Facebook quickly became the world's largest social networking site, with over 2.8 billion monthly active users. It allows users to connect with friends and family, share photos and videos, and discover new communities.

• Twitter: Founded in 2006. Twitter is a microblogging platform that allows users to post short messages, called tweets, with their followers. It has over 330 million monthly active users and is popular for its real-time news updates and trending topics. It got a spring in its step when the crypto community flocked to the platform; you can catch someone going live on Twitter Spaces to talk about crypto, blockchain and web3.

• LinkedIn: Founded in 2002. LinkedIn is a social networking site primarily focused on professional networking. It has over 740 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories and is a popular platform for job seekers and recruiters.

• Instagram: Founded in 2010. Instagram is a photo and video sharing app that allows users to post photos and videos, follow other users, and discover new content. It was acquired by Facebook in 2012.

• TikTok: Founded in 2016. TikTok is a short-form video-sharing app that has exploded in popularity. It allows users to create and share short videos with music, filters, and other effects. It has over 1 billion active users monthly and is particularly popular among younger generations.

Web3 future: Decentralized, sovereign social networks

Web3 technologies are revolutionizing social media by creating decentralized networks that give users control of their data. Mastodon and Damus are among the leading projects in this space, offering decentralized social networks that allow users to communicate and share information without relying on a central authority. This shift towards decentralization is a response to the growing concerns about large corporations' centralized control of user data. The move has the potential to foster more diverse and inclusive online communities.

Alongside providing increased control and privacy for users, Web3 technologies can democratize access to information and create new opportunities for meaningful social connections. By removing the gatekeepers and central authorities of traditional social media platforms, Web3 technologies can help to level the playing field and empower users to shape their online experiences.

• Lens Protocol: AAVE launched Lens Protocol, a Web3 social graph that gives users complete creative control and ownership over their data and content. It's built on the Polygon PoS. It has over 100k active profiles, and the team is currently working on several applications, one of which is a Web3 Twitter alternative called Lenster.

• Mastodon: Mastodon has taken the concept of Twitter, but operates quite differently. Instead of everyone's tweets coming together in your timeline, Mastodon operates in a series of smaller servers; it only allows up 250k members per server. It's meant to connect people with similar interests, rather than trying to go viral.

• Damus: Damus is the social media protocol for Nostr. It's a decentralized social network which enables end-to-end private messaging between users. Its goal is to create a censor-resistant global network. Users don't have a @handle, but instead a public key to post under.

• Chingari: Chingari is a video-sharing mobile app where users use AR filters, similar to those you may see on Snapchat. It's moving away from Solana, and will use Aptos as its Layer-1. By watching or posting, you can earn Chingari's native token, Gari.

• Taki: Taki is built on Solana and is a tokenized social network that allows users to create their own user coins to build their individual token economy. Taki also rewards users in their native token TAKI, when users post content or leave comments. With the Taki token, users can use it to buy individual user coins.

What's not to like?

Web3 is still emerging before our eyes, but its positive influence over such a pervasive and influential communications medium in social media suggests that big things lay ahead. Greater governance from users. Self-managed data. Fewer bots. And, potentially, fresh revenue streams through monetized content. That deserves a 'like'.

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