Web3 is the third generation of the World Wide Web, also known as the “Semantic Web” or the “Web of Meaning.” It is a vision of a future internet that is more intelligent, more interconnected, and more accessible to all. While this vision has many potential benefits for spirituality, it also has some potential drawbacks that need to be considered

Web3 Can Keep You Isolated

They say Web3 is all about community. But it is also driving a lot of FOMO with all the Discord groups we belong to, our Twitter feed constantly updating, the drops, the whitelists, the tokens, the poaps, the ups and downs of the economical markets, all these NFT incentives one needs a spreadsheet to keep track of, and so much more.

One potential drawback of Web3 for spirituality is the risk of information overload. With so much information available, it can be difficult for people to filter out the noise and focus on the information that is most relevant to their spiritual growth. This can lead to confusion and frustration, and may even discourage some people from pursuing spirituality at all.

The recent study out of UCLA asking if (young) people might be losing the ability to read emotion is quite telling as it explores the fact that children’s social skills are declining since “they have less time for face-to-face interaction due to their increased use of digital media.”

“Patricia Greenfield noted that “informal learning environments of television, video games, and the Internet are producing learners with a new profile of cognitive skills.” Exactly what are we doing to the next generation?” – forbes.com

Great question… 

Web3 Does Sound Promising Too

All of this combined sounds negative for Web3, yet a lot of the incentives of certain Web3 communities are also IRL events, gatherings, conferences, retreats etc. One of the key advantages of Web3 for spirituality is the potential for increased connectivity and collaboration. This can help facilitate spiritual growth and development by allowing people to learn from one another and engage in meaningful dialogue.

These are all elements to be aware of while building new paradigms in Web3.

We hold the power to grow Web3 to enable society to be more in touch with our environment, our social and family groups, ourselves, further from capitalistic consumerism, competition, controlling elites, etc.

There are projects that show amazing promise like eco-communities, education, women support, diversity programs, Spirituality and wellness projects, self-governance, decentralized banking and more.
And just as Web2 saw the growth of local accounts like your corner restaurant’s, micro local Web3 solutions where everyone is involved and rewarded for the creation of their community garden, their local schools, neighbourhood, their city, etc would enable more of a sense of belonging.