The Exploration Path of Web3 Social: From Innovation to Mass Adoption

Web3 social is redefining our view of social networks 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, Instagram, WeChat, etc., have provided users with unprecedented convenience for sharing, interacting, and communicating. However, this convenience also hides some dilemmas. Web2 social platforms typically centralize control over user data, lack transparency and privacy protection, and platform governance and decision-making are often controlled by a few centralized entities. Furthermore, creator incentives are also a highly controversial aspect of Web2 social products.

At the same time, 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 such as Lens, CyberConnect, Farcaster, Phaver, and Debox. Concepts like SocialFi integrate finance and social interaction, reshaping the landscape of social networks. Desoc, on the other hand, aims to establish a decentralized social ecosystem to address the numerous issues present in Web2 social networks.

Although the social track has been highly anticipated as the next Mass Adoption for a long time, it has yet to produce large-scale applications since its inception. What will the future of Web3 social look like? Are the endless social products merely a flash in the pan or the next mass adoption? 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 interaction, examine the Web3 social space, reveal their advantages and challenges, and explore their role in redefining social networks.

Why do we need Web3 social?

The essence of social interaction does not change with the development of history.

As mentioned in Tom Standage's "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 reality, humans have always engaged in socializing and information dissemination in various forms. From ancient letters and coffeehouses 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 pursue connection and communication.

Looking at it 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, postal services, and other methods were the primary means of social communication. With the invention of printing, books and newspapers became the main tools for information dissemination, but the scope of social interaction was limited by geography and the speed of communication.

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

3. The Era of Broadcasting and Television: The broadcasting and television media of the 20th century changed the way mass communication occurs, allowing information to spread more widely and shaping cultural, political, and social concepts.

4. The Internet and 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 functionalities, becoming the main tools for daily communication, sharing, and interaction.

6. Web3.0 and Decentralized Social: Recently, with the development of blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies, there have emerged Web3.0 social platforms that place greater emphasis on decentralization, privacy protection, and user control. 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 need for social interaction since ancient times. However, at its core, whether it is face-to-face communication, sending messages via carrier pigeon, or inscribing on stone tablets to convey to others, the essence of human social needs has not changed significantly with the development of the times. The core needs can be summarized in the following four points:

1. Maintain connection and a sense of belonging: Social interactions give people a sense of belonging, meet emotional and psychological needs, build intimate relationships, and provide 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 identity and self-expression: Socializing is a way for people to showcase themselves, establish identity recognition, and gain acknowledgment.

Web2 social solutions meet the demand for "speed, quality, and cost-effectiveness".

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

In the Web2 phase, there was an emphasis 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 number of users increases, social media has gradually become the main platform for business activities and advertising promotions. Companies and brands use social media to attract users and promote products, and the market value of social projects has also climbed 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 media, the essence of social needs has not changed; the core change is providing faster, more convenient, and cheaper services. Facebook allows people to meet friends and share information more quickly, while X enables faster access to trending news and interactive discussions ( compared to newspapers and television ). LinkedIn has transformed workplace networking from offline introductions to rapid online professional connections... Essentially, Web2 social products address the needs of socializing in terms of "speed, quality, and cost-effectiveness."

Challenges in the traditional social networking 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, users do not own their data; it belongs to the platform, which can lead to many issues.

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

• Value does not benefit users: Users' data enables social platforms to conduct precise marketing and advertising activities, yet users cannot gain benefits from the revenue, leading to users' data being exploited by the platform.

• Unable to cross-platform: Because user data belongs to the platform rather than the users themselves, registering on different social media often requires starting from scratch. Personal social cards and other information cannot circulate across multiple social platforms, making each social platform an isolated island.

In the Web2 social environment, many creators report that after generating most of the value, they receive little to no compensation, or only a very small portion. They can create their own IP on social media platforms, but they have no ownership or control over the data and value of the content created. Once X or YouTube deletes their profile, they lose all accumulated content data.

Decentralization: In Web2 social products, the platform has unlimited rights to use the content.

• Weak resistance to censorship: As information in Web2 is stored on centralized servers, freedom of speech cannot be realized in many countries' apps due to the influence of political and cultural factors, which to some extent deprives individuals of their right to express themselves freely. Whether it's the arbitrary changes of X's rules, account bans, or platforms like Facebook and TikTok, there are too many centralized restrictions and constraints that force users to dance under shackles.

Although there are applications like Mammoth making efforts in decentralization, there are still many unavoidable issues. Overall, it is decentralized, but in specific servers, users still face the risk of authoritarianism, abandonment, and prohibition by the server provider.

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Analysis of Web3 Social Industry Products

In response to the various issues existing in Web2 social networks, Web3 products have begun to explore from multiple angles, flourishing with social projects at both the protocol and application layers to address the different pain points of Web2 social networking.

From the perspective of the entire Web3 social industry, the Web3 social industry can be roughly divided into four parts: application layer, protocol layer, blockchain layer, and storage layer. Among them, social proprietary chains provide customized L1 for social apps to better serve the needs of social apps, as social applications are more demanding than financial D.