🌱 Web3
Objective
Understand the current state of Web3 — where the technology actually sits, what projects are active and viable, and how decentralised ownership and verification models could address structural problems like data asymmetry, platform lock-in, and trust. Reconnect with the space after a gap since university study of smart contracts.
Why this topic
Prior technical exposure to smart contracts at university created a foundation but the space has evolved significantly. Interested in returning to understand what has matured, what has failed, and where meaningful contribution is possible. Web3 keeps appearing as a potential solution across other topics — data asymmetry, digital loyalty, trust — so understanding its actual current capabilities matters.
Working thesis
Web3's core promise of decentralised ownership and programmable verification is genuine and underutilised. Speculative hype around cryptocurrency and NFTs dominated public perception and obscured practical applications that solve real problems — verified ticket ownership, bot resistance, user-controlled data, removal of institutional intermediaries. The technology is not the barrier. Adoption is failing because of cultural association with speculation and because technical literacy requirements risk creating a new layer of digital exclusion rather than democratising access.
Current stage
Returning after a gap. Some prior technical foundation in smart contracts, no current knowledge of the ecosystem.
Key tensions
Decentralisation as a principle conflicts with usability at scale — the more accessible Web3 becomes, the more it tends to reintroduce centralised intermediaries to abstract the complexity. Also: the verification and ownership promise is compelling, but most users don't want to manage private keys or understand blockchain mechanics. Can the benefits of Web3 be delivered without requiring users to understand Web3?
Open questions
- Where is Web3 currently at in terms of maturity and adoption?
- What projects are active and building towards genuine utility rather than speculation?
- What are the practical limitations holding back mainstream distribution — scepticism, complexity, or crypto association?
- Is the technical barrier a solvable UX problem or a structural exclusion issue?
- Where could someone with a CS and strategy background contribute meaningfully?