Imagine that your various needs and opportunities – from borrowing a stepladder for a couple of hours to earning extra money by pet-sitting while the owners are on vacation – could be fulfilled instantly, right after you put them in your “Wish List”. Despite the power and diversity of today’s platforms, they still fall short of delivering such seamless experiences.
This is due to the architectural limitations of the Web 2.0 approach, where fragments of information about us are scattered across countless platforms.
But what if we turned the internet "inside out"? Imagine everyone having a single personal "Internet account" where all your information – from bio and posts to capacity and wish lists – is stored and managed by you.
Could this shift and increased competition between thousands of platforms, perfectly match your capabilities and needs with those around you?
Could it help build connections and even combat the growing loneliness epidemic?
Read on to discover how Internet transformation and Wish-list technique could bring a sense of small-town community to the global world, fostering true freedom and creativity in our interactions.
The Limitations of Current Platforms
Since we can order food from our favorite restaurant or book a hotel on the other side of the world with just a few clicks, it might seem like the modern internet should handle any task with ease. However, when it comes to more unique, individual requests, things quickly become much more complicated.
The problem with the current Web 2.0 architecture is that platforms act like closed clubs, dividing users among themselves.
If you use Uber and the taxi driver uses Lyft, you won’t find each other – even if you’re standing on the same street corner. This is why platforms are so focused on becoming monopolies and why they concentrate on typical, mass-market tasks.
So when it comes to less typical personal needs, we’re left with a few weak platforms that split an already small pool of users. For instance, if you’re searching for a tutor for your child, the ideal teacher might be on a platform you’ve never even heard of.
So when it comes to less typical personal needs, we’re left with a few weak platforms that split an already small pool of users. For instance, if you’re searching for a tutor for your child, the ideal teacher might be on a platform you’ve never even heard of.
Internet “inside out”
Now imagine a different model, where instead of juggling multiple accounts across various platforms, each person has their own "Internet account" – a personal space where all their data is securely stored: from the usual like bio, diplomas, documents, to the Wish list - an arbitrary list of all your wishes - from the desire to find a rare stamp for the collection to meeting someone who shares your dream of jumping with a parachute.
This data is available (with the user's permission, of course) to all platforms and AI-services competing to serve you.
Need a neighbor to assist with organizing a community yoga class in the park? She's just two houses away! Want to offer help fixing computers? Simply add it to your Wish list within your “Internet account”. Thousands of smart services will then compete to connect you with people who need your skills, offer what you're looking for, or share common goals with you.
We call this new architecture of Internet ‘Web 3.0 Data Space’ and it has a lot of interesting implications, which are described here. In this article we only address Wish Lists.
We call this new architecture of Internet ‘Web 3.0 Data Space’ and it has a lot of interesting implications, which are described here. In this article we only address Wish Lists.
Wishes in Waiting
Now, imagine you post on your Wish List: “Looking for a partner for morning jogging.” Instead of getting lost in endless social feeds or chat threads, your request waits until someone nearby posts a similar one on their own “Internet Account”. Then one of the AI startups will instantly find this match and introduce you to each other.
Or imagine, you were late to buy a ticket to the concert due to sold out. As soon as another AI-service reads in someone's Wish List that they want to sell tickets because they can't go, you'll get them!
It’s like having a friend who spots a rare book you’ve been searching for and picks it up, remembering your interest. Beyond convenience, these interactions – built on these “important little details” – could foster new, deep connections between people.
Or imagine, you were late to buy a ticket to the concert due to sold out. As soon as another AI-service reads in someone's Wish List that they want to sell tickets because they can't go, you'll get them!
It’s like having a friend who spots a rare book you’ve been searching for and picks it up, remembering your interest. Beyond convenience, these interactions – built on these “important little details” – could foster new, deep connections between people.
Building Global Village
Many startups will compete to offer you the best and fine-tuned solutions that intertwine the dreams of some and the capacities of others. Analyzing your wish list, one service will help you find a part-time job, another will help with organizing an evening for parents at school.
Say you’re struggling with your garden but don’t even know where to start. You simply add “It would be nice to tidy up the garden” to your Wish List, and in response you receive a message that a month ago a retired gardener wrote in his Wish List that he would be happy to help around the garden sometimes, for the sake of pleasant communication.
It is very important that, like in a small village, we will know whether the proposed gardener or jogging partner can be trusted. This is where eReputation comes in, providing a layer of trust — more details can be found here.
Say you’re struggling with your garden but don’t even know where to start. You simply add “It would be nice to tidy up the garden” to your Wish List, and in response you receive a message that a month ago a retired gardener wrote in his Wish List that he would be happy to help around the garden sometimes, for the sake of pleasant communication.
It is very important that, like in a small village, we will know whether the proposed gardener or jogging partner can be trusted. This is where eReputation comes in, providing a layer of trust — more details can be found here.
Each match builds horizontal connections in the community, combating loneliness and making people happier.
This approach brings entirely new opportunities for interaction, infusing the vast global world with a small-town feel – where people know each other and are ready to help.
The Path to a Human-Centered Internet
It's interesting that even well-addressed everyday tasks could be handled differently. Today, Web 2.0 platforms push us toward typical scenarios: want to get to the airport? Use Uber. Need to order food? Open Glovo. But what if someone is driving by on their way to the airport to meet a colleague, or your neighbor is already at the supermarket and could grab some milk for you? Smart services could suggest they help, and they'd likely agree, knowing next time someone else will help them.
While this might seem unusual in a modern city, in remote villages, where global services aren’t available, people still live this way: communication and helping to each other. So why not bring this principle to cities, where there are even more people and possibilities for such an approach?
While this might seem unusual in a modern city, in remote villages, where global services aren’t available, people still live this way: communication and helping to each other. So why not bring this principle to cities, where there are even more people and possibilities for such an approach?
We often think technology has already simplified our lives as much as possible, but the real revolution is still ahead. By flipping the Web 2.0 model inside out – where we store all our data in our own "Internet account" and let platforms compete to serve us best – we ignite a new phase in the development of a human-centric Internet.
This opens up opportunities for richer, more flexible interactions where our wishes and abilities connect without restrictions. Real freedom in the digital world isn’t about being limited by the rails of typical solutions. It’s about creatively and uniquely interacting with the world on your own terms, building meaningful, horizontal connections with those around you.
Wish Lists are just one manifestation of the capabilities of the Web 3.0 Data Space architecture. Read more about others in this article.
Wish Lists are just one manifestation of the capabilities of the Web 3.0 Data Space architecture. Read more about others in this article.