You're at a family BBQ. Uncle Joe has already had three beers and suddenly becomes a "tech guru."
He wobbles over, slaps your back and goes:
“So, what’s this Web3 nonsense you kids keep talking about? Back in my day, we just used Facebook and prayed our ex didn’t like our vacation pics.”
Buckle up, Uncle Joe. It’s Storytime.
Web3 is the rebellious teenager of the internet family.
Web1 was like a dusty library. You could read stuff but not touch.
Web2 was a loud shopping mall. You could post, share, and comment—but you paid in your soul (aka your personal data).
Web3 is like joining a digital co-op where you own your stuff, vote on what happens, and no single landlord (like Zuckerberg) controls your fate.
It’s the internet saying:
“I’m not a product anymore, Mom. I’m a decentralized adult!”
Blockchain is the tech behind Web3. Imagine a magical notebook that:
Everyone can see.
No one can erase.
And once you write in it, it’s locked forever—like that embarrassing love note you sent in high school.
Instead of one big boss server (like in Web2), blockchain spreads the notebook around. Everyone has a copy. It’s teamwork, but without Brenda from accounting deleting all the formulas.
It’s like Google Sheets,
except it's:
invincible,
uncensorable,
and probably way too proud of itself.
If Web3 is the rebellious teen, and blockchain is the unerasable notebook, then cryptocurrency is the pizza money.
You see, for all this decentralized magic to work, people need motivation. No one's going to babysit a global network of digital ledgers just for karma points.
So, along comes crypto—a reward system for keeping the notebook safe and accurate.
You solve a math puzzle, you get some Bitcoin.
You stake your coins to help the system? Here’s some Ethereum for your troubles.
You buy a Shiba coin at 3am after three Red Bulls? …well, good luck.
You know how in real life, contracts are filled with fine print, loopholes, and vague promises?
A smart contract is a robot that says:
“IF Bob sends 1 ETH, THEN Bob gets a goat NFT. Period.”
No emotions. No middlemen. No Karen arguing with the manager.
Web3: The next-gen internet where you own your data and make the rules.
Blockchain: The transparent, tamper-proof notebook that makes it possible.
Crypto: The reward system that keeps the notebook safe and everyone honest.
Smart Contracts: Robotic rule-makers that never sleep and don’t accept bribes.
So, Uncle Joe, imagine if your Facebook photos weren’t owned by Facebook, your money didn’t need a bank, and the family BBQ was run by a community vote on the blockchain. Oh, and we paid for the ribs with Dogecoin.
That’s Web3, baby.
Still early. Still weird. But it's cooking up something big.
Now pass the ribs.
Fabian Owuor