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Hello all — I go by HeWhoReads. I’d like to open a constructive discussion about improving the Web3 article. As it stands, the entry leans heavily into opinion-based editorial sources while underrepresenting a growing body of peer-reviewed research on decentralized architecture, Web3 protocols, and token economies.

Proposal Summary

I’m currently compiling citations from peer-reviewed sources (e.g., IEEE, ACM Digital Library, arXiv, Cambridge Bennett Institute) and propose reframing large portions of this article with a more structured, academically sound approach. Sections such as "Buzzword" read more like editorial commentary than encyclopedic analysis and do not meet the neutral point of view (NPOV) required of contentious topics.

1. Terminological Clarity We can clarify the distinction between Berners-Lee’s Semantic Web and Gavin Wood’s Web3 without dismissing the fact that mainstream usage conflates the terms. This isn’t about endorsing misuse—it’s about documenting it, while referencing authoritative clarifications (e.g., Berners-Lee, 2022).

2. Peer-Reviewed Sources > Op-Eds Let’s shift from mainstream media to established academic frameworks. Researchers such as Chaffer, Goldston, and Liu et al. have written rigorously on Web3’s architecture, ethics, and policy implications. Their work could replace citations currently sourced from blog posts and personal tweets.

3. Nuanced Criticism Section Rather than a section titled Buzzword, we could create a Criticism & Limitations section that includes academic and journalistic concerns around decentralization, scalability, environmental impact, governance, and financial speculation—properly attributed and contextualized.

4. Remove or Reframe Opinion-Driven Language The article should reflect how terms are used and challenged. As User:GorillaWarfare noted, Web3 is commonly used synonymously with Web 3.0—this deserves documentation and a note that authoritative figures (like Berners-Lee) reject this equivalency.

• Liu, Z. et al. (2021). A Survey on Web3: Architecture and Future Directions. arXiv.
• Goldston, J., & Chaffer, T. (2022). Web3 and the Rise of Decentralized Governance. Journal of Emerging Tech Ethics.
• Bennett Institute Policy Brief (Cambridge, 2022). The Socio-Economic Possibilities of Web3.

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I’ll wait to hear from others before proposing any significant edits. Happy to collaborate, share the bibliography, and begin drafting subsections for community input.

— HeWhoReads

Following the proposals above I tried to make very small but important edits to the definitions. The inaccuracies stem from heavy reliance on non-academic sources, which were particularly prominent during the media hype around blockchain 10 years ago. The entry also contradicts other Wikipedia entries such as the one on the semantic web. With this edit I tried to start updating it to reflect the academic discourse around web 3.0, trying to make it more balanced and resolve the conflicts with other Wikipedia entries. I added one peer-reviewed meta analysis I found on this, but there are plenty of more to add. — Preceding unsigned comment added by ES IRM (talk • contribs) 11:21, 24 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I had to revert, because you conflated two different things. The Semantic Web and this blockchain-based idea are two separate concepts which are referred to by confusingly similar names, and the Wikipedia article should not propagate that error. MrOllie (talk) 11:31, 24 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed, as it says in Terminology section, "Web3 is distinct from Tim Berners-Lee's 1999 concept of a Semantic Web, which was also sometimes referred to as Web 3.0" Selfstudier (talk) 11:41, 24 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I would repeat my comment from above: The fact of the matter is that people regularly use the term "Web 3.0" to refer to the blockchain concept. We need to mention how the terms are used in common parlance, not try to create some ideologically pure distinction between "web3" and "web 3.0" that simply doesn't exist. GorillaWarfare (she/her • talk) 14:55, 24 August 2025 (UTC)[reply]