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Course Description

Summary

The large-scale consumer web has been defined by epochs. The first epoch was defined by the user as consumer: large companies created content which was consumed by the masses. The second web epoch (web 2.0) has been defined by consumer creators, large companies own and deliver content created by users to other users (Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, …). The third web epoch is—if you believe the hype—to be defined by self-ownership of content. The move to true ownership of content—and the associated rights and privileges that go with it—creates unique opportunities in product development, user experience, and economic capabilities on the web. It also creates a need for large encryptable, distributed, and censorship resistant databases, namely blockchains.

This is NOT a programming course, but rather a survey of how technology works. This course will help students gain a firm understanding of the development of the web through its first two epochs and how that lays the framework for a move towards potential mass ownership of one’s own content and data. It then explores the fundamental technologies that help power mass ownership in web3, namely blockchain and cryptocurrency. Both provide opportunities and pitfalls, and students will be asked to form and explain opinions on these and especially if web3 will happen, or not. Finally, the course explores the contours of the nascent web3 industry to provide students pathways to further explore the industry on their own.

This course is open to students in any discipline who are interested in the role of technology in society. It is likely especially relevant to students with plans focusing on computing, social science, and public policy. Evaluations are based on class participation and essays.