Web2

Web2 is the current, centralized internet era dominated by large technology corporations that control data, applications, and digital services. In this model, users generate content and data that platforms like Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple aggregate, analyze, and monetize while users receive minimal compensation or control. Web2 companies act as intermediaries between users and services, extracting enormous economic value through advertising, data sales, and proprietary algorithms. This centralization creates single points of failure, enables surveillance, and concentrates power in corporate hands, which Web3 advocates argue necessitates decentralized alternatives. Example: Facebook (Meta) exemplifies Web2 architecture, where billions of users generate valuable content and personal data that the company controls, monetizes through advertising, and uses to train proprietary algorithms while users receive no direct compensation. Why it matters for Web3: Web2's centralized model demonstrates the need for Web3's decentralized alternatives, highlighting how concentrated corporate control creates privacy risks, reduces user agency, and concentrates wealth, motivating migration toward user-owned infrastructure.

Explore the full Web3 Glossary — 2,062+ expert-curated definitions. Need guidance? Talk to our consultants.