Web 3.0 is Coming. Are You Prepared?

AI and virtual reality are changing the digital world. Fellow concerned users, let's take advantage of this disruption.

Today’s Internet is a bit of a hellscape. On Twitter — I mean, “X” — a small sliver of active users throw jabs at their ideological opponents, contemporary sophists shirking the intellectual responsibility of engaging in good-faith debate. On TikTok and Instagram, algorithmically curated feeds serve up ultra-processed content (a term coined by author and computer scientist Cal Newport) that’s truly “For You”, in the sense that it’s the content most likely to keep you scrolling.

Despite the starry-eyed saviorism and techno-optimism of tech bros like Zuckerberg and Musk, these days Big Tech companies seem to care little whether their platforms contribute to making the world — or your life — better. In fact, it’s now widely understood that the most engaging content tends to be the most enraging and polarizing.

The distracting, polarizing, and overall sucky nature of today’s Internet has massive spillover effects in the real world. From our increasingly fractured political landscape to declining youth mental health to high levels of burnout among knowledge workers, the cultural malaise sweeping Western industrialized nations at a disproportionate rate is driven, at least in part, by digital technologies and how we use them. (Some argue that this conclusion confuses correlation with causation, but as social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues extensively in his new book “The Anxious Generation”, it’s now crystal clear that smartphones and social media play a significant causal role in the negative trends we’ve been seeing since around 2010.)

I’m not advocating Ludditism, nor do I wish to paint the Internet and digital technologies as evil. Quite the opposite: I believe that these technologies have the incredible potential to democratize information and free up our time for the activities and pursuits that truly matter.

As a member of Gen Z (the generation born roughly between 1995 and 2012), I’ve grown up in the digital age, witnessing both its promises and perils come to fruition. Since my early adolescence, I’ve found validation and community in online spaces. I’ve maintained friendships across states and continents. I’ve gained basically instant access to high-quality information, broadening my perspective and feeding my insatiable curiosity.

I’ve also wasted countless hours scrolling on social media and getting lost down YouTube rabbit holes. I’ve experienced how impossible it feels to read long books or consume long-form content after distracting Internet binges. Over the past few years, I’ve had to systematically overhaul my digital habits in order to resist the attention-baiting design of modern technology and cultivate more clarity and calm in my life.

I’d wager that the worst of today’s Internet stems largely from its casino-like design. By that I mean that, just like casinos, Big Tech companies design their products with the ultimate aim of maximizing engagement at all costs. When you open your phone or log in to social media, you’re likely bombarded with flashy icons, red notification badges, and endless-scroll feeds, all of which are carefully engineered to hack your brain’s reward system and keep your eyes on the screen for as long as possible. Several of these features are directly or indirectly inspired by casinos: the flashy lights and dazzling colors, the infinite scroll/play, the engineered sense of timelessness, and the variable reward schedules in which “wins” (whether that elusive slot machine payout or a particularly funny/relatable TikTok video) are doled out at random, unpredictable intervals, just to name a few.

Casinos can be fun, but they can also be addictive. A weekend spent on the Vegas Strip every once in a while isn’t the worst thing in the world for most people, but you probably wouldn’t want to spend the majority of your waking hours there. Yet we happily carry slot machines in our pocket. Except these slot machines dry up not our wallets but our attention reserves — arguably our most valuable resource. As the saying goes, your world is what you pay attention to.

Spot the difference

It wasn’t always this way. The digital realm used to be far less addictive and far more, well, boring. The first public-facing iteration of the World Wide Web — Web 1.0 — was characterized by static HTML websites, limited user interaction, and one-way communication. The boring nature of Web 1.0 (also called the “read-only Web” or the “Static Web”) made it less harmful and less distracting. The slower connectivity of dial-up internet discouraged constant online presence, while the absence of push notifications reduced constant interruptions. Without sophisticated algorithms tailoring content to keep users engaged, people typically went online with specific aims in mind, whether reading an online publication, conducting basic e-commerce, or gathering information about the weather or events happening in the community. The design of Web 1.0 incentivized intentional use much more than aimless browsing. It was like a library: people used it to look up specific information and find resources to enhance their offline lives.

Our current iteration, Web 2.0, emerged around 2004. Characterized by user-generated content, sophisticated advertising cookies, video streaming, cloud computing, and interactive sites like Facebook and Wikipedia, Web 2.0 is a lot more fun and engaging than its predecessor — and also a whole lot more addictive and polarizing. Where Web 1.0 was a library, Web 2.0 is designed, and more often than not, used, like a casino. It encourages users to passively consume algorithmically-curated content, and has thus devolved into a source of cheap dopamine hits.

I’m too young to remember the early Internet, so I’m not the one to judge whether the user experience was better or worse overall. Besides, we’d be hard-pressed to return now to the days of the Static Web. Instead, we must look forward to the next iteration: Web 3.0.

Proponents of Web 3.0 promise a lot. They want to decentralize data storage using blockchain technology, wresting data from Big Tech companies like Meta and Google. They want to protect user privacy by scaling back third-party cookies. They want to integrate AI and machine learning into your Internet browser (this is already happening, with Google’s AI model, Gemini, now summarizing search results for you). Web 3.0 could spell a more private, user-centric, and streamlined online experience for all.

But there are problems. For one, current AI models are often unreliable. Exhibit A: Gemini apparently suggested users eat rocks and add glue to their pizza. These are likely edge cases, but they underscore the hilarious, ominous ease with which current AI models can contort and fabricate facts. While I remain optimistic that these models will only continue to get smarter and more accurate, thereby reducing the frequency of hallucinations, I doubt that ‘oopsies’ will ever be completely avoidable, no matter how sophisticated their computing hardware or how much data they’re fed.

Yet another concerning aspect of Web 3.0 is its promise of hyperconnectivity, driven by VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality: where computer-generated data is superimposed onto the real world), and the Internet of Things. If we’re not careful, such significant integration of the digital and physical world could simply exacerbate the problems of addiction, distraction, and polarization that we’re already seeing with Web 2.0.

No one knows yet whether Web 3.0 will be the digital utopia that techno-optimists promise, or whether the problems plaguing our current Internet will simply evolve into a different (perhaps more pernicious) form. I think it’s likely to be a bit of both. And, also, Web 3.0 will bring with it its own set of challenges, creating new regulatory challenges for governments, worsening climate change due to its significant energy use, and exacerbating existing inequities. And of course, corporate interests will continue to seek novel ways to exploit our attention for profit.

In the face of these systemic hurdles, it can seem futile to try and resist giving up our attention and wellbeing to Big Tech. While the future of Web 3.0 remains uncertain, we don't have to wait for sorely needed systemic change to improve our digital lives. Here are some suggestions for what we can do as individuals to help change the culture and usher in an era of digital technology that’s healthier, more sustainable, and more enriching for everyone.

1. Cultivate an interesting life offline.

This is arguably the most important suggestion, which is why I’m putting it first. In the absence of enriching offline activities, goals, and commitments, it’s all too easy to fall into the trappings of digital distraction. Figuring out what makes you tick offline will encourage you to deploy digital tools to support and enhance your life, rather than dominate it. Ideally, your life offline should be deeply enriching along several axes, encompassing career, community, and hobbies. As hobbies, you should find and invest in what Cal Newport calls “high-quality leisure” activities — activities that demand focused attention rather than passive consumption. These days, my preferred high-quality leisure activities include reading (physical books are preferred, but I also love my Kindle because it’s a pain to use the Internet on it), playing bass (I’m learning upright for the first time after years of only playing electric), and practicing martial arts.

2. Make your devices as boring as possible.

I’ve taken this to the extreme by removing all apps from my iPhone’s home screen and using a black screen as my lock screen and wallpaper. This forces me to use my phone primarily as a tool rather than as an entertainment device. When I open my phone, instead of mindlessly clicking on the first shiny app that draws me in, I’m forced to confront the question: What do I need right now?, and either find the app I need from the app library or search for it directly. If this approach seems too daunting, at least consider muting notifications on all but the most essential services, turning your device(s) to grayscale, and removing social media and streaming from your phone (you can still access these services on your laptop or computer — it’s usually just a bit clunkier).

3. To the extent possible, disengage from algorithmically curated feeds.

If you’re online at all in 2024, it’s nearly impossible to entirely avoid algorithmic recommendations. Still, be mindful not to hand over too much power to your feeds. Resist letting the algorithm call the shots when it comes to what content you engage with. For example: I love YouTube. To make my YouTube experience more library-like and less casino-like — in other words, to make it a tool for growth and learning rather than distraction — I have a plugin called Unhook that scrapes my home feed of all recommended videos. When I log in, I’m immediately redirected to my Subscriptions page. If I want to discover new channels or videos, I have to actively go looking for them using the search feature, just like I would in a library. I also try not to scroll on social media: it’s best to get in and get out by searching directly for what you’re looking for, whether it’s a friend’s DMs or a new banana bread recipe.

4. Don’t beat yourself up.

Some of the smartest people in the world (with the help of even smarter AI systems) are hard at work making digital tools as addictive as possible for the sake of Big Tech’s bottom line: increasing engagement to sell users’ attention to advertisers. Don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself getting roped into the enticing features of your digital tools. But do hold yourself accountable for clawing your way out, to the best of your ability. It’s a powerful act of resistance.

5. Sign the petition to tell Congress to pass legislation to protect kids online.

It’s been 25 years since Congress last passed legislation to protect kids online. These bipartisan bills would 1) require social media companies to allow users to turn off engagement-based algorithms, 2) allow users to directly influence the content they receive and stop recommendation systems from sending potentially harmful content, and 3) prohibit Internet companies from collecting personal information from users aged 13 to 16 without their consent. These are small steps, but they could help make the Internet a safer place for the most vulnerable among us, as well as more enriching and less distracting for the rest of us.

Let’s all start using the Web more like a library and less like a casino. If enough of us commit to this alternative mode of relating to our tools, it just might shift the technological tide in a more positive direction.