The Future of Web Development is Web3

Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher attributed with the saying that "change is the only constant in life."

It's trite because we've heard it so often, but clichés are clichés because they are true.

Especially when it comes to web development, a field that's constantly at the forefront of change.

Heraclitus could have easily been talking about the future of web development, which evolves at light speed.

Industry thought leaders theorize that the future of web development is limitless. With all the new innovations in the web development industry – more specifically, the advent of web3-enabled technology – how will the new era of the internet look like?

Web3 has given us a taste of how distributed ledger technologies, blockchain protocols, digital currencies, non-fungible tokens, and decentralized autonomous organizations come together to radically change the infrastructure of the new internet age.

And while traditional web developers far outnumber those that made the switch to web3, data suggests that more and more web developers are making the switch to web3 given the cutting-edge nature of web3 development, the above-market range of salaries, and the high demand in the competitive digital market for web3-fluent talent.

Are you a traditional web development professional in web2 and interested in making the jump to web3? Then this article is for you.

Why Web3?

Gaining an in-depth understanding of what the future of technology and society could look like years down the line gives you a competitive advantage in and out of the workplace. And since web3 is very much in its nascent stages, establishing yourself in the industry at such an early point in its development could set you up for life-changing skills, knowledge, and careers.

If you wish to be part of something greater than just garden variety web apps, learning web3 development can have you in the middle of every tech recruiter's focus. Web3 doesn't just change the future of web development – it changes the society that it exists. By creating inclusive, open, and privacy-oriented web apps and services, you, as a web developer in web3 will play a key role in steering society toward a more democratic, censorship-resistant internet that isn't beholden to personal, political, and corporate interests.

Moreover, learning web3 keeps you at the edge of your seat with all the new web technologies at your disposal, and you'll get to work and learn from a diverse selection of global talent. As a web3 developer, you will be helping solve the most pressing societal problems, help drive greater access to financial products and services, create sustainable and fair businesses, and develop privacy-oriented products that devolve power to the users.

Therefore, it's no surprise why companies are fighting tooth and nail for web3 development professionals and offering generous packages that may include a percentage of tokens to web developers besides their princely take-home salaries.

How Can Metacrafters Help?

Before we dive deeper into the trends of Web development and how Web3 may serve as leverage for your skills, let’s take a moment to discuss how Metacrafters can help you on your path. 

‍Metacraters is an educational platform that helps you to transition from Web2 development to Web3.

We aim to provide the most coherent, detailed, and action-oriented courses that will make sure you learn quickly, while at the same time will have a high probability of employment right after you finish the course. 

If you are considering making the leap to Web3 development, Metacrafters is the right place to start because:

• Our educators are top minds in Web3 development;
• Courses are made with the end goal in mind - your own project or employment;
• Video courses with test projects and quizzes;
• Earn to learn and Proof of learning model.

Most importantly, we prepare you for the real working environment of Web3! 

Web Development Trends: Building the Future Internet

The signs all increasingly point to the following 10 key web development trends that, besides web3, will rise to prominence as we move towards the post-web2 future in 2023 moving forward.

Progressive web apps (PWAs)

Progressive web apps refer to websites with built-in native mobile apps support. PWAs communicate with users as a native app built using common web technologies and designed to work on any desktop and mobile device.

Progressive web apps are enabling seamless installation, reduced power and storage consumption, lower maintenance and dev expenses, and faster market launches besides improved distribution.

As the world evolves towards a mobile-first global society, people will be accessing the internet mainly through their mobile devices. Consequently, major e-commerce players are following suit by investing in progressive web app development. There's no question that PWAs will become a major game-changing trend for B2B and B2C firms worth their salt.

Dark Mode-enabled UI

Almost every main social platform and high-traffic website have the option to set it to dark mode, which features a darker-themed visual design pattern optimized for every device. In a survey, 82% of Android users reported they use dark mode on their devices, while 10% switched between dark and light modes when necessary.

Using dark mode conserves battery life, reduces exposure to blue light, lowers eye strain, and makes UI content easy to read. Not surprisingly, web2 giants like Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Reddit have implemented dark mode UI in their mobile and web apps to favorable user opinions. We can expect the rest of the internet to follow suit in 2023.

Single-page applications (SPAs)

SPAs, also known as single-page websites, are one of the predominant web trends entering 2023. As their name implies, these websites' single pages initially load the whole website and its dynamic content on the same page. Examples of single-page applications include Twitter, Gmail, and Facebook, to name a few.

Technologies such as AJAX and HTML5 enable responsive elements on single-page applications while JavaScript frameworks such as Angular, Ember, React, and Vue enables client-side development.

SPAs enable easy debugging, intuitive navigation, fast page load rates, and lower bounce rates, as well as offline support.

Single-page applications enhance conversion rates by as much as 40%, making them an ideal medium to reach target audiences through simplified user navigation and faster page loading times.

Voice search/voice recognition technology

Voice search engines are a trend that can no longer be ignored. The global voice recognition market, for instance, is expected to balloon to a size of US$27.2 billion by 2026.

Voice search optimization for devices with smart speakers is part and parcel of the future of web development, making it an essential knowledge area of technical SEO to stay ahead of the rankings.

Web Speech APIs integrate voice search tech with web apps using components such as SpeechRecognition and SpeechSynthesis. The latter enables scripts to perform text-to-speech functions, while the former identifies the voice and triggers responses to queries.

Accelerated mobile pages (AMPs)

Accelerated mobile pages were developed to enhance page functionality and improve bounce rates just as progressive web apps do. AMPs are simply web pages that are optimized for mobile devices, readability, and convenient, simple, and basic features as opposed to more robust web pages.

The increasing popularity of accelerated mobile pages indicates that the internet is moving towards a more user-centric model much in line with the principles of web3. Despite the rise of 5G internet and native apps for better UX/UI, accelerated mobile pages enable small-to-medium-size businesses to save tremendous costs on UX and hit their target audience. They enable companies with niche products to compete with the market's movers and shakers.

Artificial intelligence-enabled chatbots

From 2023 onwards, you can count on AI-powered chatbots to become even more efficient in identifying user behaviors through machine learning, data retrieval, and natural language processing techniques.

Not only do chatbots improve customer experience immensely; but they also streamline operations with voice or text-based chats. That way, users can locate the information they need to troubleshoot or solve problems, get fast responses to inquiries, and provide a smooth overall online experience.

Plenty of B2B and B2C companies have begun catering to their segments of clients using chatbots on social platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp as opposed to typical chatbots. It's a foregone conclusion that more entities will leverage AI-powered chatbots moving forward across industries.

The Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the major web development trends in the coming years. The emergence of the IoT has given us the freedom to operate smart appliances and devices through our mobile devices and is symptomatic of how all-encompassing the internet pervades our daily lives in this day and age.

Gadgets connected to the IoT are powered by constant data. IoT technology personalizes the user experience so that companies can provide rapid services and connect with users as fast as possible using a variety of IoT-enabled devices.

How will the Internet of Things affect web development? IoT tech promotes highly advanced communication between websites and functional models across a wide variety of sensors, speakers, and cameras. With the market for IoT-enabled devices expected to hit US$25.4 billion by 2030, the technology is expected to grow by leaps and bounds as one of the main web development technologies of the new internet age.

Blockchain and cryptocurrency technology

Blockchain technology is one of the pillars of web3 development and web development technology itself. The concept of digital currency, for instance, has just been around since 2004, and we must come to expect big things from web3 technologies from 2022 onwards. Decentralized finance (DeFi), decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and decentralized exchanges gave us a taste of how promising web3 can be towards the creation of a new internet of "value."

Nearly 80 million crypto wallet users were counted at the height of the crypto bull run in November 2021, but that's just one piece of the puzzle for web3. Blockchain technology requires customer support, technology infrastructure, and compliance with legal regulations.

For web3 to gain true adoption and remove itself from the realm of buzzwords and hype, distributed ledger technologies must be hardened and secured from human errors, security incidents, and technical malfunctions. Major financial conglomerates and banking institutions have been testing out web3 technologies in various iterations, such as trading cryptocurrencies and safeguarding customer data. At this point in time, web3 may very well be the harbinger of the new era of the internet as we know it.

The Future Of Web3 Is Looking Bright

Web3 technology will likely take us to a new "internet of value" in the coming years, where active web3 users are empowered to participate in decentralized, token-based economies that reward them for their participation while monetizing their nodes, marketable skills, and content in ways unheard of.

It's not a matter of if, but when web3 democratizes the internet as we know it. Every industry, big and small, will be subject to disruption from the ground up. Our interactions, the way we work, and the way we communicate will change under a web3-enabled tech environment.

The best thing about web3 is that if you have traditional website development experience in web2, you will most likely be able to use them in web3 without any hitches whatsoever.

Distributed ledger technology is being leveraged by web3 builders to create decentralized iterations of major services like social messaging, social media, and IoT, just to name a few. On the other hand, the fledgling yet thriving web3 movement is changing the way we consume and create content across platforms, whether they be art, news, music, video, or social media.

Yet another way web3 will change the internet is through decentralized identity. Web3 enables the creation of immutable, secure, and interoperable identity profiles stored on-chain with the potential to reduce tedium when accessing the internet online (with all the silos and inefficiencies of web2 that make browsing inefficient).

Nevertheless, as web3 matures, the builders in the space are crafting a new paradigm of online experiences. However, be that as it may, web3 is also at risk of creeping centralization, as venture capital and speculators from traditional finance plow capital into blockchain and digital currencies. There is little standing in the way of web2 conglomerates from allocating their abundant resources and capitalizing on certain aspects of this technology – and we've already seen how web2 perspectives, greed, and speculation can infiltrate and pollute the web3 movement.

Will web3 overcome the concentration of naked power in the hands of the few? Will web3 overcome the degenerate speculation and reckless profiteering from investors? Only time will tell.

One thing's for sure: you can't put back the toothpaste in the tube.

Conclusion

Web3 is expected to usher in a more user-centric and democratic World Wide Web that prioritizes users to be truly platform-agnostic, sovereign, and possess full data ownership. 

The advent of web3 has opened up opportunities for traditional web development professionals to move to the forefront of the internet of the future. It's not surprising why web2 web devs are moving to the greener pastures of web3. 

In doing so, they take an active role in building out and laying down the foundations of a decentralized Internet era and create innovative, exciting new digital products. 

The demand for web3 development talent is only set to rise in the coming years. There's no better time to get into web3 than now, regardless of your background as a web dev.

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