Exploring the Path of Diverse Web3 Social Applications – a flash in the pan or the next mass application?

1. Introduction: What is Web3 Social?

Recently, the popularity of friend.tech has once again attracted people's attention to Web3 social. By assigning KOL influence a price, it has drawn a lot of interest and participation. The subsequent emergence of Bodhi has also garnered significant attention, as it assigns value to content, realizing the return of data value. In the social network field, Web3 social seems to be undergoing some new transformations and explorations. With the development of blockchain technology, it is redefining our perception of social interactions and providing a range of innovative solutions. Whether it's social finance ( SocialFi ) or decentralized social ( Desoc ), Web3 social is actively exploring the possibilities of future social networks.

Looking back at the development of social products, Web2 social products like Facebook, X( original Twitter), Instagram, WeChat, etc., have provided users with unprecedented convenience for sharing, interacting, and communicating. However, behind this convenience also lies some dilemmas. Web2 social platforms typically have centralized control over user data, lacking transparency and privacy protection, and platform governance and decision-making are often controlled by a few centralized entities. In addition, creator incentives are also a point of contention for Web2 social products.

Meanwhile, Web3 social is redefining social networks in a whole new way. Web3 social emphasizes decentralization, user data privacy and control, as well as the incentive mechanisms of cryptocurrency economics, giving rise to protocols and products like Lens, CyberConnect, Farcaster, Phaver, Debox, and friend.tech. Concepts like SocialFi integrate finance and social interactions, reshaping the landscape of social networks. Desoc, on the other hand, focuses on building a decentralized social ecosystem to eliminate the many issues present in Web2 social networks.

Although the social track has been highly anticipated as the next large-scale application for a long time, it has not yet produced large-scale applications since its inception. What will the future of Web3 social be? Are the endless social products a flash in the pan or the next large-scale application? This research report will delve into the core concepts and solutions of Web3 social, analyzing its current development status, advantages, and challenges. We will return to the essence of social interactions, examine the Web3 social field, reveal their advantages and challenges, and discuss the roles they play in redefining social networks.

2. Why do we need social in Web3?

1. The essence of socialization does not change with the development of history.

As mentioned in "A Brief History of Social Media," we often think of social media as a new concept that emerged with the development of the internet and digital technology. However, in fact, humans have always engaged in socializing and information dissemination in different forms. From ancient letters and cafes to modern social networks, the essence of social media has not changed; only its forms and technological tools have continuously evolved. Social media is an extension of human characteristics, a way for us to constantly pursue connection and communication.

Observing from different historical stages, technology has had a significant impact on the development and evolution of social media, serving as an important driver of change.

1. Ancient and Traditional Media Period: In ancient times, letters and postal services were the main social mediums. With the invention of printing, books and newspapers became the primary tools for information dissemination, but the scope of social interaction was limited by geography and communication speed.

2. The Era of Telegraphs and Telephones: From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, the emergence of the telegraph shortened the time for information dissemination, and the popularization of the telephone changed the way of long-distance communication, allowing people to exchange information more quickly.

3. The Era of Radio and Television: The broadcasting and television media of the 20th century changed the way mass communication occurred, allowing information to be disseminated more widely and shaping cultural, political, and social perspectives.

4. The Internet and the Web 1.0 Era: From the 1990s to the early 2000s, the emergence of the internet made information dissemination more widespread and instantaneous. The Web 1.0 era was mainly composed of static web pages, with content primarily being a one-way transmission from official sources to users, where users could not actively participate in content creation, resulting in low interactivity.

5. The Rise of Web 2.0 and Social Media: Since the mid-2000s, with the rise of Web 2.0, more interactive and user-participatory social media platforms have emerged, such as Facebook, X, and YouTube. These platforms provide more user-generated content and social features, becoming the primary tools for daily communication, sharing, and interaction.

6. Web3.0 and Decentralized Social: Recently, with the development of blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies, social platforms focusing more on decentralization, privacy protection, and user control have emerged. These platforms aim to address the issues present in Web2.0 social, such as data privacy, algorithm filtering, and information authenticity, and provide a more secure and transparent social experience.

It is easy to find that humans have had a social need since ancient times. However, at its core, whether it's face-to-face socializing, sending messages via carrier pigeons, or engraving on stone tablets to communicate with others, the essence of human social needs has not changed significantly with the development of the times. The core needs can be summarized into the following four points:

1. Maintain connection and sense of belonging: Social interactions provide a sense of belonging, meet emotional and psychological needs, build intimate relationships, and offer support.

2. Information learning and exchange: Through social interactions, people can share experiences, knowledge, and information, promoting learning, development, and personal growth.

3. Cooperation and Mutual Assistance: Social interactions help people collaborate, work together to solve problems, and achieve common goals.

4. Social recognition and self-expression: Social interaction is a way for people to showcase themselves, establish their identity, and gain recognition.

2. Web2 social addresses the needs of "fast, good, and economical".

After the mid-2000s, Web2 social media began to thrive. Facebook became a pioneer, offering users the ability to share information, photos, videos, status updates, and more, allowing them to build social networks. Subsequently, various social platforms such as X, YouTube, LinkedIn, and others emerged.

Each platform has its own unique features and functions. For example, X has become an important platform for information dissemination and discussion with its unique instant messaging and social interaction methods. Its 140-character limit allows for rapid information sharing, making it a hotspot for news and topic discussions; YouTube, as a video sharing platform, has changed the way people watch and share videos, becoming a widely popular content creation and sharing platform; LinkedIn focuses on professional networking, providing a professional network that allows users to build career relationships, share work experiences, and expand their connections; Instagram, with its powerful image sharing capabilities and social interactivity, has attracted a large number of users, becoming one of the main platforms for photo and video sharing.

During the Web2 phase, the emphasis was on user participation, interaction, and content generation. Websites transformed from static information displays to more dynamic and interactive social platforms, enabling users to create and share content ranging from simple text and images to richer videos, blogs, and profiles. With the development of mobile internet and the popularity of smartphones, people can access social media platforms anytime and anywhere, facilitating and increasing the frequency of social activities.

As the user base grows, social media has gradually become the main platform for business activities and advertising promotion. Companies and brands use social media to attract users and promote products, and the market value of social projects has been climbing steadily. Among them, the leading company Meta(, formerly known as Facebook), has seen its market value soar since its IPO in 2012, surpassing 1 trillion dollars in market value in 2021.

Looking back at the development history of Web2 social networking, the essence of social needs has not changed. The core change is to provide faster, more convenient, and cheaper services. Facebook allows people to meet friends and share information more quickly, X enables faster access to trending news and interactive discussions ( compared to newspapers and television ), LinkedIn transforms workplace networking from only offline introductions to rapid online professional networking... Essentially, Web2 social products address the needs of social interactions in terms of "speed, quality, and cost-effectiveness."

3. The Dilemmas of the Traditional Social Industry

However, Web2 social also brings some problems, which can be summarized in two aspects: data ownership and centralization.

1. Data Ownership: In Web2 social products, user data does not belong to the users, but to the platform, which can lead to many problems.

• Privacy Leakage: User data is collected and utilized on a large scale, leading to risks of personal privacy leakage. The platform may misuse user data or sell it to third parties, causing issues of privacy leakage and data abuse.

• Value does not benefit users: Users' data allows social platforms to conduct precise marketing and advertising activities, yet users cannot benefit from the revenue, leading to platforms exploiting users' data for free.

• Cannot be cross-platform: Since user data belongs to the platform rather than the user, registering on different social media often requires starting from scratch, and personal social cards and other information cannot circulate across various social platforms, making each social platform an island.

In the social environment of Web2, many creators report that after generating most of the value, they receive little to no compensation, or only a very small portion. It is possible to create one's own IP on social media platforms, but there is no ownership or control over the data and value generated from the content. Once X or Youtube deletes a personal profile, all accumulated content data will be lost.

2. Decentralization: In Web2 social products, platforms have unlimited rights to use the content.

• Weak resistance to censorship: Due to the fact that Web2 information is stored on centralized servers, freedom of speech cannot be realized in many countries' apps under the influence of political, cultural, and other factors, effectively depriving individuals of their right to express themselves freely. Whether it is the ever-changing rules on X, account bans, or platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and WeChat, centralized platforms impose too many restrictions and constraints, forcing users to dance in shackles.

Although applications like Mammoth are making efforts in decentralization, there are still many unavoidable issues. While it is decentralized overall, users still face the risks of despotism, abandonment, and exclusion by the providers of specific servers.

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