As we discussed last week, the web is undergoing a transformation to its next phase, sometimes called web 3. Web 3 will support many of the characteristics of Web 2. Messaging, Payments, Sharing, Storing, Querying, Talking, Working, Playing, will all evolve in new ways. But the old user interfaces and underlying protocols, not to mention the ownership and rewards structures will all change.
The future of social media can no longer be a headline conference topic. The real topic is what replaces it? This is the beginning of the end of social media and web 2.0.
This week Bitcoin grew in value to become the 13th most valuable currency in the world, replacing the Swiss franc. The super-smart Sam Altman launched WorldCoin to enable a global universal income infrastructure. Andreessen Horowitz grew to 170 investing professionals as the next version of venture capital emerges.
The overall message is all-change. But Trump’s TRUTH is no change. It may garner a cohort of bitter republicans intent on holding back progress. It does not and cannot represent the future of tech, nor of politics.
While all of this is playing out the Democratic party, while failing to progress its voting rights bill or its spending plans, is moving forward with proposals to shackle “Big Tech” and regulate or perhaps strangulate the Web 2 winners. As always it is fighting battles from the last war at the same time a new canvas is being drawn. Wherever those regulatory efforts end up, it is sure that they will have no impact on what comes next. It is already too late for that.