Web of Value by Ian MacRae, Reviewed

I had the pleasure of reviewing the non-fiction book, Web of Value, by Ian MacRae. Overall, I found it to be an easy to read and digestible book. It applies to any internet user looking to experiment with web3.0, or deepen understanding around it. His insights on internet technology are very concise, which supports the understanding of user interfacing web3.0 layers.

An Easy Guide to Understanding Web3.0, Web of Value explained

The author is a psychologist, and wasted no time in laying out his knowledge of web3.0, which started with the preface. His accurate and concise writing was clear from the start. The preface surmised the structure of the book, and what to expect with web3.0.

He highlighted the importance of understanding the technology, before understanding the psychology of user interaction, along with navigating pitfalls. Broken-out into three parts, the book started off with Part 1, Technology, encompassing chapters 1 to 8.

The author explored web3.0’s lineage, starting with some computer science history regarding the Osborne computer from the 1980s. I would have used Bell Labs’ Unix innovations that created Linux myself, but to each their own. His walk down memory lane seamlessly moved into the internet era with web1.0 and the rapid expansion of computer tech.

He then went into the web2.0 we know of today as the interactive internet. He explores web2.0 flaws, as the motivational background to web3.0. This contextualization leads to a brilliant point about how we, as users, should view technological advancements.

We should approach technological advancements with curiosity, caution, and historical context. This point is fiercely relevant today when we look at the issues caused by disinformation and other forms of digital subversion over social media platforms using web2.0 technologies.

Around chapter 3, he moves into bitcoin and conducts a similar, yet meaningful, background to crypto currency and its evolutionary path. This technological briefing completes required reader understanding, as it leads to the next part of the book.

Part 2, Psychology, encompasses chapters 9 to 15. It is the direct exploration of the psychology of the digital space. Is digital psychology separate from physical world psychology, and if so, why? It challenges your understanding of reality as a digital space user, which is critical to any use of immersive technology.

Web2.0’s version of social media is less immersive than web3.0’s metaverse rooms, and yet, can endanger your mental health if you are not careful. The author implicitly explores this in fiercely relevant points, which include building trust as a user in a digital space.

I love the insights around learning new cues in the digital space, as this, in particular, can mitigate the risk to the user from succumbing to the psychological effects of digital subversion. The programming humans affect is another related point, which is explored to a degree in this book.

The author delves into related areas in part 2, including the definition of reality in relation to web3.0. Is crypto real? Are web3.0 apps trustable? The practical aspects of applying psychology to web3.0 use are central to this book. So, informed of the tech in part 1, and the psychology in part 2, the author rounds the book out with a web3.0 entrepreneur exploration in part 3.

Part 3, People, is the exploration of the entrepreneurs, technologists, and the curious who are the pioneers of web3.0. Their risk-taking levels are certainly high, but they can also fail in this wild west of technology. The author devotes chapters 16 to 18 to these pioneers, the repetition propensity of successful web2.0 entrepreneurs who fail in web3.0, and why it’s important to learn from the past.

No doubt, the level of detail, research and knowledge infused into this book is a must read for anybody wishing to become accurately informed on web3.0. Its backgrounding may seem tiresome but its fiercely relevant to increase your chances of web3.0 success. It’s important to note web3.0 is not web2.0 with a new interface.

Web of Value is an easy-to-read publication that allows a much wider reader base to gain value and insight into web3.0 use, and users; for now and the foreseeable future.

By John Mulhall @soldersee | [email protected] is a writer with Irish Tech News for over 8 years and also a Cloud Engineer, Writer, and Novelist. You can learn more about John, and his debut novel “From Terror to Valor: Echoes and Shadows” on his author site at https://authormulhall.com

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