In this chapter, we provide details of key enablers of Web3 and the metaverse. It will discuss how several new technologies that are enabling the vision of Web3 and the metaverse, such as AR and VR headsets, are becoming cheaper and more powerful, leading to improved user experience. It discusses major opportunities that can result from Web3 and the metaverse. It provides a perspective on the roles of the metaverse in enhancing branding, empowering consumers, and increasing customer satisfaction with services. This chapter also highlights the various challenges that Web3 and the metaverse face. It discusses how human resources-related challenges and technical constraints can hinder the success of Web3 and the metaverse. It also offers an overview of the lack of standards and standardization to ensure interoperability within the metaverse ecosystem.
This chapter looks at key features of Web3 and the metaverse from privacy and security angles. It offers a detailed description of technological-environment and institutional-level factors that can lead to increased privacy violations and security breaches in Web3 and the metaverse. The chapter will discuss how newness, novelty, and complexity of technologies involved and weak architectural security of Web3 and the metaverse are likely to provide a fruitful environment for cybercriminals and other perpetrators. On the regulatory front, it points out that privacy and security laws of the Web2 era are not sufficient to deal with the environments of Web3 and the metaverse. It analyzes the level and nature of the impacts of privacy violations and security breaches on consumers and victims in the Web3 and the metaverse environments. It gives special consideration to the multisensory environment of the metaverse, which can lead to more adverse impacts on users and victims in cases of privacy violations and security breaches. The chapter also demonstrates how security breaches in Web3 and the metaverse are likely to lead to immediate harm to victims. It promotes an understanding of how blockchain, which is the key building block of Web 3 and the metaverse, can be vulnerable under certain conditions. The chapter also delves into cyberattacks and other malicious behaviors targeting crypto-assets such as cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are key enabling technologies of Web3 and the metaverse economies. It provides guidelines and suggestions for consumers, businesses, industries, and nations to enhance security of Web3 and the metaverse.
This chapter gives an overview of key benefits to the Global South that stem from Web3 and the metaverse. It provides a perspective on the Global South's preparedness to benefit from Web3 and the metaverse looking at key indicators related to the adoptions of cryptocurrency and Web3 browser and investment in Web3 and the metaverse. It provides details of economic and social impacts of the metaverse in key areas. The chapter talks about the role of the metaverse economy as a job creator. It also reviews the metaverse's effects on training, education, knowledge exchange, innovation, and entrepreneurship. It will discuss how the metaverse can help the Global South internationalize cultural products and artifacts. It analyses how Web3 can provide leapfrogging opportunities in areas such as finance. This chapter also explains how various trust issues can be addressed by Web3, which is especially important in the Global South.
This introductory chapter provides an account of the current status and key trends in Web3 and the metaverse. It provides pointers to an increasing number of applications of Web3 and the metaverse in diverse areas. The chapter also looks at the developmental pattern of various metaverses. It provides a brief history and key events that have led to the development of Web3 and the metaverse. This chapter also looks at the debate about whether Web3 and the metaverse are only hype or the future of the digital economy. This chapter also delves into the recent rise and fall of Web3 and the metaverse. It examines the key factors contributing to the decline in Web3 and metaverse-related activities.
In the past few years, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have surfaced as a revolutionary innovation, captivating the world’s attention by offering a novel way to tokenize and trade unique digital assets and collectibles. This paper presents a comprehensive exploration of the development and implementation of a decentralized NFT marketplace, underpinned by the power of blockchain technology. It harnesses a sophisticated stack of cutting-edge technologies, including MetaMask, Truffle, Infura, ReactJs, Tailwind CSS, Ganache, Solidity, Web3js, and Faucet. These technologies have been meticulously integrated to create an ecosystem that prioritizes security, efficiency, and user-friendliness, redefining the way NFTs are bought and sold in the digital realm. It delves into the intricate architectural design of the decentralized NFT marketplace, offering in-depth insights into its underlying infrastructure and the intricate interplay of its constituent technologies. It meticulously outlines the implementation process, illuminating the steps taken to transform this ambitious vision into reality. The paper also candidly discusses the challenges encountered throughout the development journey, providing valuable lessons learned.
The advent of Quantum Computing (QC) poses significant threats to the cryptographic foundations of Blockchain (BC) systems, as quantum algorithms like Shor’s and Grover’s undermine the security of public-key cryptography and hash functions. This research conducts a comprehensive risk assessment of quantum vulnerabilities across critical BC components, including consensus mechanisms, smart contracts, and digital wallets. Leveraging the STRIDE threat modeling framework, we analyze threat vectors specific to QC, identifying key areas most susceptible to quantum-enabled attacks, such as private key compromise, consensus disruptions, and smart contract integrity risks. Our contributions provide actionable mitigation strategies, including a detailed security blueprint for quantum resilience, encompassing the integration of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and the adoption of quantum-resistant hash functions. We offer implementation best practices, focusing on key management, secure coding, and network security to strengthen BC components against quantum threats. To mitigate the risk of QC during transition from classical to quantum-resistant BCs, we present two hybrid BC architectures. As part of a comprehensive quantum resilience strategy, these architectures facilitate a secure and scalable migration by integrating platform-specific adaptations that balance security, adaptability, and operational efficiency. Our analysis extends to major BC platforms, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, and Zcash, providing platform-specific vulnerability assessments and highlighting unique weaknesses in the quantum era. By identifying vulnerabilities, developing proactive defense strategies, and adopting a structured hybrid migration approach, this research equips BC stakeholders with a robust framework to achieve long-term quantum resilience. Finally, we explore challenges and research directions for integrating emerging technologies, including quantum machine learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Web3, with BC systems, and discuss new threats that may arise from this convergence in the QC era.
Web3 technologies—comprising decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs)—spark significant public discourse, balancing enthusiasm for innovation with skepticism about associated challenges. While previous studies focus on specific Web3 domains, they often overlook the interplay between thematic discussions and emotional traits, limiting insights into adoption dynamics. This study bridges that gap using a two-stage methodology: Stage 1 categorizes Web3 discussions into industries (e.g., Core Infrastructure, DeFi, NFTs, DAOs), and Stage 2 analyzes emotional traits namely optimism, skepticism, frustration, curiosity, and concern. Annotated data from X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and Reddit are classified using fine-tuned Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) models, achieving macro F1-scores of 0.82 for thematic and 0.84 for emotional classification. Findings reveal that curiosity and optimism dominate Core Infrastructure and Decentralized applications (DApps) discussions, while frustration is more prevalent in NFTs and DAOs. These insights provide actionable strategies for addressing barriers and amplifying drivers of Web3 adoption. Future research should explore broader demographic and temporal trends or employ advanced transformer models like the Robustly Optimized BERT Pretraining Approach (RoBERTa) and XLNet to enhance accuracy and depth.
The Internet, initially celebrated as a bastion of freedom and openness, is increasingly becoming a domain of control, surveillance, and regulation by both states and private entities. The rise of state control and regulation of the Internet, along with the private sector’s expanding control over information, poses significant challenges to the ideals of freedom and openness that once defined the Internet. This article examines the transformation in Internet governance from a state of minimal regulation to a heavily controlled environment by both governments and corporations and explores how the blockchain technology and decentralised architecture underlying Web3 promise to redefine Internet governance and resist censorship. Through a mixed-method approach that synthesises insights from computer science, political science, and legal studies, the paper argues that public blockchains challenge Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN) traditional control over DNS and significantly reduce the ability of centralised entities to exert control over content and communication, thereby enhancing freedom of expression and resisting censorship. The ability of Web3 to fully realise this potential is, however, dependent on overcoming complex technical and regulatory challenges.
Fueled by new technologies, such as blockchain and Web3, brands are increasingly extending into the digital space. One such novel extension is the non-fungible token (NFT). Numerous examples indicate that brands’ market performance with NFTs varies widely in terms of short-term revenues and spillovers to the parent brand. However, little is known about the factors that are associated with a successful performance. The goal of our research was to identify those factors. Regarding short-term revenues, we empirically tested the value of several possible success drivers; these drivers reflected a combination of the most important success factors for physical brand extensions (e.g., extension fit, brand equity) and value drivers for NFTs (e.g., added NFT utility, number of NFTs in the campaign). Using a novel dataset of 450 NFT campaigns, we document that both types of variables help to predict financial revenues from brand-related NFTs. Going beyond the short-term financial results of NFT campaigns, we also report experimental evidence that shows such campaigns may create negative spillovers for the parent brand. Overall, this research demonstrates (i) which value drivers correlate with a brand’s NFTs success, (ii) which brands are the best fit for NFTs, (iii) in what ways brand managers need to adapt their brand-extension strategies from the physical to the digital environment if they want to succeed with NFTs, and (iv) the risk that brand extensions with NFTs may hurt customers’ attitude towards the parent brand.
Joseph T. Yun, Eli Lifton, Eunseo Lee, Y. M. Yun · 11 authors
The rapid advancements in quantum computing present significant threats to existing encryption standards and internet security. Simultaneously, the advent of Web 3.0 marks a transformative era in internet history, emphasizing enhanced data security, decentralization, and user ownership. This white paper introduces the W3ID, an abbreviation of Web3 standard meeting universal digital ID, which is a Universal Digital Identity (UDI) model designed to meet Web3 standards while addressing vulnerabilities posed by quantum computing. W3ID innovatively generates secure Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) tailored for the decentralized Web 3.0 ecosystem. Additionally, W3ID employs a dual-key system for secure authentication, enhancing both public and private verification mechanisms. To further enhance encryption strength and authentication integrity in the quantum computing era, W3ID incorporates an advanced security mechanism. By requiring quadruple application of SHA-256, with consecutive matches for validation, the system expands the number of possibilities to 256^4, which is approximately 4.3 billion times the current SHA-256 capacity. This dramatic increase in computational complexity ensures that even advanced quantum computing systems would face significant challenges in executing brute-force attacks. W3ID redefines digital identity standards for Web 3.0 and the quantum computing era, setting a new benchmark for security, scalability, and decentralization in the global digital twin ecosystem.
Empowered by blockchain technology, smart contracts have attracted considerable interest from Web3 users due to their distinct advantages. Nevertheless, it is challenging to address problems caused by the dramatic expansion of the Web3 ecosystem. This article introduces the smart contract-as-a-service (SCaaS) paradigm to mitigate smart contracts’ redundant deployment via their composability and reusability. Moreover, we design trust and incentive schemes to ensure project security and developer engagement in SCaaS. Specifically, we first introduce a reputation filter by leveraging the authentic on-chain data, aiming to eliminate high-risk contracts. We then design a contract-based incentive mechanism to help the foundation attract heterogeneous developers with multidimensional private information, and maximize the foundation’s utility by inducing developers to undertake projects of differing complexities based on their ability. We further differentiate between veteran and newcome developers and examine their influences on foundational strategies. Finally, extensive experimental results demonstrate that our proposed contracts can efficiently remove high-risk smart contracts, maximize the foundation’s utility, and ensure that developers select contracts honestly and participate in the SCaaS ecosystem actively.
Abstract The ever-changing global educational landscape, coupled with the advancement of Web3, is seeing rapid changes in the ways pedagogical artificially intelligent conversational agents are being developed and used to advance teaching and learning in higher education. Given the rapidly evolving research landscape, there is a need to establish what the current state of the art is in terms of the pedagogical applications and technological functions of these conversational agents and to identify the key existing research gaps, and future research directions, in the field. A literature survey of the state of the art of pedagogical AI conversational agents in higher education was conducted. The resulting literature sample (n = 92) was analysed using thematic template analysis, the results of which were used to develop a conceptual framework of pedagogical conversational agents in higher education. Furthermore, a survey of the state of the art was then presented as a function of the framework. The conceptual framework proposes that pedagogical AI conversational agents can primarily be considered in terms of their pedagogical applications and their pedagogical purposes , which include pastoral , instructional and cognitive , and are further considered in terms of mode of study and intent . The technological functions of the agents are also considered in terms of embodiment (embodied/disembodied) and functional type and features . This research proposes that there are numerous opportunities for future research, such as, the use of conversational agents for enhancing assessment, reflective practice and to support more effective administration and management practice. In terms of technological functions, future research would benefit from focusing on enhancing the level of personalisation and media richness of interaction that can be achieved by AI conversational agents.
Open access
AI in Service Interactions
Online Learning and Analytics
Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Adaptive Learning
Regulation, highly publicized data leaks, and growing consumer concerns about data privacy and ownership challenge fashion brand marketers’ ability to accurately measure and act on consumer touchpoints with fashion brands. This study conceptually proposes using blockchain technology as a promising solution to analyzing verified customer behavior. Blockchain data holds untapped potential for applications in marketing analytics as a valuable means for gaining insight into consumer behavior across a customer’s path to purchase. As consumers increasingly enter Web3 environments, understanding how to use blockchain data effectively in analyzing consumer behavior will prove essential for fashion brand marketers to create value for their customers and the brands they represent. This conceptual study explores how blockchain data can enhance the value fashion brand marketers add throughout the pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase phases by enabling a higher level of customer interaction, loyalty tracking, and better prediction of customer demand, all while respecting consumer privacy.
Open access
Consumer Retail Behavior Studies
Blockchain Technology Applications and Security
Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
Videogames, a globally dominant form of media entertainment, are increasingly sites for experimentation and new technological developments. One such example can be seen with the intersection of games and blockchain technology. Cryptogames, as they are known, have recently created a model known as “play-to-earn” (P2E); specifically, where players accumulate and trade crypto assets, such as coins and nonfungible tokens, in exchange for real-world currency. For its proponents, play becomes analogous to work, adding to the tradition of games intersecting with labor and money. In this chapter, I argue that P2E, while promising financial prosperity, can perpetuate economic disparities that foster exploitative practices while exposing players to financial risk. This chapter challenges the commonly touted utopian narrative of P2E ushering in economic prosperity, particularly for users in the developing world.
In this chapter, I present and discuss Web3 as a technology enabling new forms of decentralized governance and operation on the Internet. I first provide a brief history of the evolution of the World Wide Web from Web1.0 to Web3, and then provide examples of Web3 technologies and existing use cases. This chapter also considers some of the key changes that Web3 brings along and the positive possibilities in industries and societies these will present. This chapter further considers some of the challenges and issues that must be addressed for Web3 to realize its full potential and to have a positive impact. I introduce a range of innovative Web3 applications within the media and creative industries. These innovations target contemporary industryspecific issues characterized by a lack of transparency and power imbalances. I focus on the music industry, the film and series industry, as well as on the social media creator industry. Lastly, this chapter points to the challenge of system-wide adoption of Web3 technologies and the importance of interdisciplinary research.
Shaw Walters, Sam Gao, Shakker Nerd, Feng Da · 14 authors
AI Agent, powered by large language models (LLMs) as its cognitive core, is an intelligent agentic system capable of autonomously controlling and determining the execution paths under user's instructions. With the burst of capabilities of LLMs and various plugins, such as RAG, text-to-image/video/3D, etc., the potential of AI Agents has been vastly expanded, with their capabilities growing stronger by the day. However, at the intersection between AI and web3, there is currently no ideal agentic framework that can seamlessly integrate web3 applications into AI agent functionalities. In this paper, we propose Eliza, the first open-source web3-friendly Agentic framework that makes the deployment of web3 applications effortless. We emphasize that every aspect of Eliza is a regular Typescript program under the full control of its user, and it seamlessly integrates with web3 (i.e., reading and writing blockchain data, interacting with smart contracts, etc.). Furthermore, we show how stable performance is achieved through the pragmatic implementation of the key components of Eliza's runtime. Our code is publicly available at https://github.com/ai16z/eliza.
An embedded software development kit (SDK) is an essential component in an IoT ecosystem. The existing embedded SDKs, while facilitating developers to build centralized, cloud-native IoT applications, are not able to meet the increasing requirements of connecting smart devices to Web3, in particular decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePINs). To close this gap, we present a universal, open-source embedded SDK called ioConnect in this paper. Built upon the emerging technologies such as the platform security architecture (PSA) and self-sovereign identity (SSI), ioConnect is the first embedded SD K that allows developers to connect smart devices to a decentralized network and create rich and trustworthy device-to-device and device-to-person relationships. ioConnect is designed with a layered architecture coupled with a flexible configuration utility and is able to support a wide range of smart devices with different processing capabilities and memory footprints. Our extensive performance evaluations on two resource-constrained smart devices demonstrate viability and effectiveness of ioConnect when used in practice.
Lingxiao Yang, Xuewen Dong, Zhiguo Wan, Di Lu · 6 authors
As the foundation of the Web3 trust system, blockchain technology faces increasing demands for scalability. Sharding emerges as a promising solution, but it struggles to handle highly concurrent cross-shard transactions (\textsf{CSTx}s), primarily due to simultaneous ledger operations on the same account. Hyperledger Fabric, a permissioned blockchain, employs multi-version concurrency control for parallel processing. Existing solutions use channels and intermediaries to achieve cross-sharding in Hyperledger Fabric. However, the conflict problem caused by highly concurrent \textsf{CSTx}s has not been adequately resolved. To fill this gap, we propose HiCoCS, a high concurrency cross-shard scheme for permissioned blockchains. HiCoCS creates a unique virtual sub-broker for each \textsf{CSTx} by introducing a composite key structure, enabling conflict-free concurrent transaction processing while reducing resource overhead. The challenge lies in managing large numbers of composite keys and mitigating intermediary privacy risks. HiCoCS utilizes virtual sub-brokers to receive and process \textsf{CSTx}s concurrently while maintaining a transaction pool. Batch processing is employed to merge multiple \textsf{CSTx}s in the pool, improving efficiency. We explore composite key reuse to reduce the number of virtual sub-brokers and lower system overhead. Privacy preservation is enhanced using homomorphic encryption. Evaluations show that HiCoCS improves cross-shard transaction throughput by 3.5-20.2 times compared to the baselines.
The rapid development of information and communication technology has significantly impacted various aspects of life, including Islamic education. This paper aims to design a future model of Islamic education that integrates advancements in technology, artificial intelligence (AI), Web3, and the metaverse. The research method used is a literature review with a qualitative approach. The findings indicate that technology can enhance accessibility, interactivity, and personalization in Islamic education, while AI supports adaptive learning and educational data analysis. Web3 offers decentralization and data security, and the metaverse enables immersive and collaborative learning environments. The implications of this study highlight the need for a curriculum responsive to technological advancements, teacher training, and adequate technological infrastructure to support the implementation of Islamic education in the digital era.
Sayeed Ebrahim Darwishean, Abdul Qahar Jawad, Nangialai Nangial
The study explores how to synergize Public Relations 3rd Generation (PR3.0), 3rd generation of the web (Web3.O), and new technologies to have an effective interactive online higher education (OHE) in Afghanistan. It analyzed the distinguishing characteristics of the three concepts by focusing on their application in the context of OHE in the country, aiming to assess the trio's compatibility in Afghanistan. Thus, a prescriptive methodology was used in this study. The findings indicate that the trio possesses common individualities that could be applied productively in the context of Afghanistan for collaborative higher education. The communal features include interactivity, ubiquity, and mobility, which indicate the compatibility of the concepts in the country. New technologies are accessible with the light version of applications for low-speed internet and are installable in smartphones, showing their usability. The 3rd generation of public relations (PR3.0) should be synergized with the two others to produce an effective online scheme of higher education in Afghanistan.
Open access
Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East
Blockchain technology has revolutionized industries by enabling secure and decentralized transactions. However, the isolated nature of blockchain ecosystems hinders the seamless transfer of digital assets across different chains. Cross-chain bridges have emerged as vital web3 infrastructure to address this challenge by facilitating interoperability between distinct blockchains. Cross-chain bridges remain vulnerable to various attacks despite sophisticated designs and security measures. The industry has experienced a surge in bridge attacks, resulting in significant financial losses. The largest hack impacted Axie Infinity Ronin Bridge, with a loss of almost \$600 million USD. This paper analyzes recent cross-chain bridge hacks in 2022 and 2023 and examines the exploited vulnerabilities. By understanding the attack nature and underlying weaknesses, the paper aims to enhance bridge security and propose potential countermeasures. The findings contribute to developing industry-wide standards for bridge security and operational resilience. Addressing the vulnerabilities and weaknesses exploited in recent cross-chain bridge hacks fosters trust and confidence in cross-chain interoperability.
The convergence of humans and artificial intelligence systems introduces new dynamics into the cultural and intellectual landscape. Complementing emerging cultural evolution concepts such as machine culture, AI agents represent a significant techno-sociological development, particularly within the anthropological study of Web3 as a community focused on decentralization through blockchain. Despite their growing presence, the cultural significance of AI agents remains largely unexplored in academic literature. Toward this end, we conceived hybrid netnography, a novel interdisciplinary approach that examines the cultural and intellectual dynamics within digital ecosystems by analyzing the interactions and contributions of both human and AI agents as co-participants in shaping narratives, ideas, and cultural artifacts. We argue that, within the Web3 community on the social media platform X, these agents challenge traditional notions of participation and influence in public discourse, creating a hybrid marketplace of ideas, a conceptual space where human and AI generated ideas coexist and compete for attention. We examine the current state of AI agents in idea generation, propagation, and engagement, positioning their role as cultural agents through the lens of memetics and encouraging further inquiry into their cultural and societal impact. Additionally, we address the implications of this paradigm for privacy, intellectual property, and governance, highlighting the societal and legal challenges of integrating AI agents into the hybrid marketplace of ideas.
Xiaoling Song, Guangxia Xu, Yongfei Huang, Yong Liu
Driven by Web 3.0, the number of decentralized applications (DAPPs) continues to increase, and the need for decentralized authentication across applications becomes more and more significant. In addition, multi-dimensional reputation assessment becomes especially critical in a decentralized environment. However, there is still a lack of trusted and flexible self-sovereign identity (SSI) authentication mechanisms in Web 3.0 decentralized zero-trust cross-applications access scenarios. In response to these challenges, we propose a decentralized authentication scheme that fuses reputation assessment and attribute signature for the open and self-organized Web3 application. Firstly, we design an attribute signature method based on the attributes in a user’s verifiable credentials (VCs). The signature can be used for authentication across Web3 applications, and the authenticator can flexibly adjust the attributes to be verified and their number according to specific needs. Meanwhile, in the attribute signature, we construct a multi-dimensional reputation assessment mechanism to comprehensively assess the user’s reputation from multiple aspects to determine his/her security risk level, so as to reduce the possibility of identity fraud. Ultimately, through comparative analysis, we verify the advantages of the scheme in terms of privacy, scalability and attack resistance. Moreover, we analyze the performance of the key algorithms in the scheme through simulation experiments, and the experimental results show that our scheme is feasible.