Data in the Land(s) of Web3

When Web1 arrived, people like John Perry Barlow declared the “independence of cyberspace” and argued that the internet would transcend governments. Not only did China and Russia not get the memo, but governments around the world have been empowered by the internet—not replaced by it.

When Web2 arrived, Mark Zuckerburg declared that social media would unite society and upgrade democracy. Arguably, the opposite has happened. 

Oh, hello, Web3, with your metaverses, your DAOs and your cryptos—you’re not going to surprise us this time! Or are you? Like the good early adopters that we marketers and advertisers consider ourselves, we’re flopping around like baby deer on new legs as we jump into NFTs, decentralized apps, A.I., 3-D tech and blockchains. It’s a race to demonstrate our mastery, but just as in the past, we’re forced to create on hypothesis alone. Impossible heroes have yet to rise, and the true winners have yet to reveal themselves.

But with literally billions of dollars and seemingly endless resources focused on making Web3 a reality—it’s going to happen. Along the way, brands and agencies need to expect a long and winding journey with significant technology and data hurdles. Perhaps the closest answers to what “will be” lie in analyzing our current limitations.

Web3 involves an unprecedented level of digital and data literacy. We need to create traversable bridges.

In Web1, Netscape and AOL gained popularity largely because their relative ease of use made it possible for non-users to jump on (and we’re talking a time when literally no one understood the web). In Web2, Facebook required practically zero literacy to sign up—perhaps the source of some of their problems with data privacy and demographics? But I digress. Now here we are in 2022 and we can barely keep our airports running, but we’re asking the general population to partake in something that the vast majority of highly digitally literate people can’t figure out. Never mind the total lack of data governance. This is a problem.

The reality is that, because most people exist outside of Web3, so does the data. Brands and agencies need to use our collective creative genius to bridge this literacy gap and provide utility to help people and their data “get in.” And by people, I mean those outside luxury goods, gaming and crypto bros. The answer likely isn’t giant leaps off the edge of Web3. The answer is probably a smart, supported evolution from the Web2 or Web1 world. 

That’s where our team is spending a lot of our time—helping brands and their customers take small, doable steps into the space. Like our work with the #MeToo movement where we built a campaign using blockchain technology, activated from within a regular, user-friendly Web2 interface. Or our work with BMW that evolved automotive A.I. from typical 360° imagery to an immersive AR driving experience right on your phone. Baby steps—meeting people where they are today, and then gathering the data and connections we need to nudge them further along. 

Self-sovereignty. We need to diversify our data strategy.

In a meeting with a prominent CPG CMO and a former global CEO four years ago, I was being prodded to answer what the future of data was. I said it then—they clearly thought I was insane, BTW—but I say it again now: Self-sovereignty will reign supreme. 

The promise of Web3 is that it makes your data easy-to-use and easy-to-move. Users can bring their data…