Web3: Charting the Internet's Next Economic and Cultural Frontier

An essential introduction and guide to navigating the next Internet revolution—everything from the metaverse and NFTs to DAOs, decentralized finance, and self-sovereign identity—from the co-author of the international bestseller Blockchain Revolution.

The Web, and with it the Internet, are entering a new age. We’ve moved from the “Read-only Web,” which had little functionality for interacting with content, to the “Read-Write Web,” which offered seemingly endless collaborative opportunities, from sharing with our favorite people to shopping at our favorite brands. But the profusion of cyberattacks, data hacks, and online profiling have left many of us to view digital life as a Faustian bargain in need of a major rethink.

That rethink is Web3, the “Read-Write-Own Web”—a decentralized Internet where individuals own their own identities and can securely trade assets like money, securities, intellectual property, and art peer to peer. Made possible by blockchains, the foundational technology of bitcoin, Web3 promises the biggest shake up of business since the invention of double-entry bookkeeping in the Middle Ages. It is the Internet’s new frontier.

In Web3, award-winning author and technology investor Alex Tapscott provides a cutting-edge guide to the Internet’s next era. Covering everything from the metaverse and non-fungible tokens to DAOs, decentralized finance, and self-sovereign identity, this indispensable, forward-thinking book describes the building blocks and often hidden technologies that will be foundational to our cultural and economic progress.

Tapscott’s essential guide breaks down the complex new frontier of the internet:

• The Ownership Web: A complete breakdown of the "Read-Write-Own" internet, explaining how individuals can finally own their digital identities and trade assets securely peer to peer.
• The Future of Money: An inside look at how digital currencies and DeFi are poised for the biggest shake-up of business since the Middle Ages, creating new models for securities and intellectual property.
• Blockchain Technology: A clear explanation of the foundational technology behind Bitcoin and Web3, detailing how blockchains make a truly decentralized internet possible.
• Internet-Native Organizations: An exploration of DAOs and other new structures that give users a real stake in the platforms they use, moving beyond the walled gardens of today’s tech giants.