Web3 Matters

I've seen a lot of takes around "web3" on HN, mostly by folks who haven't grown up with them, but only used them after spending several years with traditional tech.

Eg,

It’s not still the early days

When I speak about the inefficiency of popular blockchains, or mention that we seem to be hurtling towards a

web3 is Centralized

Wesley Aptekar-Cassels

Here are my thoughts on the tech as a semi-Gen Z-er:

While the older generation seems to focus on why the tech is not what it seems on a fundamental level, the younger are fueled more by the emotions of the tech, and look at the wins rather than the losses.

Eg,
crypto adoption by a country
crypto uplifting people out of poverty

Similarly, as a dev who has worked with both web2 and web3, I know how much more easier certain parts of the tech stack are in "web3".

If you ask me to build an auth system or an integrated payments system, I will go with "web3" most times because of the ease of getting started

Now, I haven't talked about NFTs, DAOs, or any other "web3" components yet, but it's fine if they don't have any real-world usecase yet.

People shit on developing technologies online just to score some internet points and feel good about the technologies they already know.

What if, like all technologies, we end up only choosing the good parts, ie, Defi and decentralized coins, while we let the other parts mature and try to find a good usecase and PMF. In my opinion, NFTs are a good way to create tradable license keys, for projects like:

• The Shaan Puri NFT for an ad-read on his podcast: https://twitter.com/ShaanVP/status/1437808708998688774
• https://rareblocks.xyz/

There are also projects which help in this positive endeavour like https://thirdweb.com/

I believe every technology should be given a fair chance to mature and find Product Market Fit.

While the other parts develop, the world still benefits from cryptocurrencies, a decentralized backend-less auth, and a decentralized payments system.

I believe email could be called mature from the 2010's, and social media from the late 2010's. Before then, both platforms used to be filled with scammers, phishing attempts, and people impersonating other people's identities.

Similarities can be found in the present NFT and alt-coin landscapes.

While I don't suggest they're an essential part of any growing social technology, they're certainly part of the growing pains of the tech.

Hell, phishing attempts even exist on "Steam Chat".

Does this rant have a point?
Probably that some of the people creating noise want internet points, and the others have forgotten how other technologies started.

The rest will keep on building.

Will this change anybody's viewpoint?
Probably no. It's only through practical usage or knowing someone personally whose life changed by crypto that you know that these technologies indeed matter.

Also, when did dunking on a piece of technology ever make it go away?

Previous articles on thewriting.dev about Web3:

Reality check on web3 by @Shadabshs:

Web3 is nigh, what about my Old skills?

Hey all! Last month we had an interesting and enlightening call with Shadab, who is presently a Full-stack developer working in React, who previously has worked for 2 years in the R&D department of a Multi-National Corp as a Blockchain Research Analyst. The crux of this discussion was

The Writing DevAkash Joshi

Life of a Programmer in Syria by @ghazwan_him

The Life of a Programmer in Syria

How Ghazwan learned programming in the backdrop of a war, and how it helped him in achieving a better life for himself.

The Writing DevAkash Joshi

(watch the video to see how cryptocurrency changed his life)