The Four Webs
Read.
Write.
Own.
Delegate.
Each generation of the Web gave people a new kind of power. Web4 is the moment that power can act on our behalf.
Web1 · Pages
Read
We could read things.The early Web made publishing universal. A small number of authors put pages online, and everyone else followed links to read them.
Web2 · Voices
Write
We could make things.Social and participatory products turned readers into creators. People posted, commented, collaborated, and built audiences.
Web3 · Ownership
Own
We could keep things.Digital assets and portable records made ownership a native part of the network—not merely a promise from one platform.
Web4 · Helpers
Delegate
We can get help.Agents can act for us across systems. The defining challenge is giving them useful power without giving away control.
The hinge
Web4 begins when software can do more than answer. It can act—with authority you chose to give it.
Go one level deeper
Delegation Is the Primitive of Web4
A child finds four magical webs. The first lets her read things. The second lets her make things. The third lets her keep things. The fourth gives her a helper who can act for her—but only on the jobs she chooses.