From Web 2.0 To Web3 - The Way IT Companies See It: Survey Results

Over the past few decades, the internet has undergone significant changes, from static web pages to interactive content and social media platforms. Web 2.0 brought about an era of user-generated content, but now a new paradigm shift is an underway - Web3. IT companies are paying close attention to the emergence of this new era and exploring the possibilities and opportunities that it presents. 

Between January 30 - Feb 10, 2023, TechBehemoths conducted a survey among 988 IT companies across 35 countries to find out how IT companies see both the Web3 concept and its adoption on a larger scale. 

Survey respondents profile

During the survey, we covered topics such as location, business size, and position held within the company following to measure how respondents’ impressions and opinions change based on these three criteria. 

Survey respondents’ position within the company

As per 988 interviewed respondents, representing the same amount of companies, the survey results show that 27% of respondents are IT company CEOs,  8.4% of the respondents are CTOs, and other 2.2% are COO. 

At the same time, a total of 20.2% of the respondents hold positions in Sales, Marketing and Business Development, while other 27% are professionals holding other positions within their IT companies. 

Survey Respondents - Geographical Distribution

As per location, most of the respondents come from companies based or active in the United States, United Kingdom, India, Poland, or Canada among others. 

At the same time, 17% of respondents come from Latin American-based companies, and 8% of respondents come from Australian IT companies. 

In Europe, most of the survey respondents come from the United Kingdom (7.3%), Poland (6.9%), and Ukraine (6.8%). The profiles of Asiatic respondents are, in their turn lead by a majority of Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi respondents. 

Survey Respondents - Company Size

Regarding the company size that survey respondents represent, the distribution is almost equally split between the four size groups and the results are as follows: 

• Respondents coming from companies with 2-9 team members - 30.09%

• Respondents coming from companies with 10-20 team members - 21%

• Respondents coming from companies with 20-50 team members - 20%

• Respondents coming from companies with 50+ team members - 28.7%

How Familiar Are IT Companies With Web3 Concepts and Terms?

Web3 is not defined in exact terms of how it will look like and what it is, the reason for which it is related and assumed to be connected with a series of terms - most of them related to blockchain, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies and trending topics. 

The first question the survey respondents were asked was meant to identify how familiar IT companies are with these terms - hence determining the answer quality. At the same time, the entire spectrum of terms have a different level of penetration in professional circles, companies, and countries underlining one more time the need to measure which terms are clear enough for everybody to understand. 

When survey respondents were asked Which of the following terms are you familiar with? The results are as follows: 

• Web2 is the most commonly known term in IT companies, gathering 87.2% of responses. 

• AI or artificial intelligence is the second most known term by respondents - 86.2% of respondents answered they know what it means. 

• Web3 closes the top 3 most known terms, having an 82.1% rate from the total of respondents. 

At the other end of the spectrum, Decentralization is the term IT companies are least familiar with and gathering only 64.8% of responses. 

In the chart below you can find the full results for this question

Social Media Is Web2’s Most Engaging Feature

Starting from the point that Web2 is the most common term among IT companies’ professionals, during the survey the respondents were asked to answer which Web2 feature their company is most engaged in. 

 

As the heading states, IT companies use Social Media more than any other feature that belongs to the past and the current web - Web2: 

• 74% of the respondents declared that their company is currently using Social Media more than other Web2 features

• 66% of the respondents answered that Software APIs are what their companies currently use most

• Mobile Applications are the third most popular Web2 feature IT companies are currently using with 59% of responses

• 58% of respondents answered that SaaS is the  Web2 feature their companies are most engaged in 

The least popular Web2 features among IT companies proved to be Wikis and Podcasts with 17% and 24% of companies actively using them. 

Information & Data Ownership - The Most Impactful Feature of Web3

Looking at the Web3 perspectives and features to come, IT Companies consider that Information and Data Ownership is what they will be affected most, but not necessarily in a positive or negative way. 

During the survey, the respondents were asked to select the most impactful Web3 features that are yet to come from a list. Also, important to mention that they were able to tick multiple answers. 

In this way 62.2% of respondents declared that information and data ownership will be the most impactful feature of Web3, while data and privacy connection will be the second most impactful feature, gathering 60.70% of responses. 

The least impactful feature of Web3 according to IT companies is unregulated and free access - where only 21.9% of respondents consider it as a top Web3 feature. 

Web decentralization is somewhere in the middle, with 55.6% of respondents declaring it will count among the most impactful Web3 features. 

24.5% of IT Companies Already Adopted Decentralized Technologies in Their Services

While some Web3 features may have more impact than others, especially when it comes to IT companies - this doesn’t mean that a good part of them aren’t already adopting decentralized technologies in their service and product offerings. 

As such, the survey shows that 24.5% of participating IT companies in the survey already work with decentralized technologies, while other 19.4% of IT companies already took a decision to do this, and are planning to incorporate decentralized technologies in their processes, services, and products. 

Nonetheless, the percentage of undecided ones is still above a quarter - 27.6% of IT companies still didn’t decide (yet) if they will be adopting decentralized technologies in their services. 

26.5% of IT Companies Already Face Web3-Related Challenges

 

While a quarter of IT companies already adopted decentralized technologies, survey respondents also declared that to some extent their activity is affected by different Web3 features and aspects. 

Considering that Web3 didn’t yet gain mass adoption, companies that already implemented decentralized technologies are the most affected.  However, the other side of the story may turn out to be that companies that didn’t implement decentralized technologies could face unfair competition. 

This way or another, when asked if their company face challenges related to web3, IT representatives answered in the following way: 

• 26.5% are facing challenges related to Web3

• 43.4% don’t face any challenges related to Web3

• 30.1% of IT companies are yet unaware if they do or don’t face any challenges related to Web3

There are many aspects and interpretations on this topic, and, in time the answers may be different based on how IT companies decide to act further.

54% of IT Companies Predict Universal Benefits for Internet Users with Web3 Technology

With all its potential features, Web3 is most likely to satisfy all internet users, rather than separate entities - the survey shows. Among the reasons behind this result may be that Web3 features such as greater security, better UX and improved transparency will be appreciated by everyone. 

However, if we break down the general group of all internet users, IT companies consider that the biggest beneficiaries from Web3 would be enterprises and corporations, followed by small businesses, and artists and musicians. According to IT companies, the least favored group by Web3 features would be governments and institutions. 

On this topic, Andrei Usatii, Rocket Minds Co-Founder stated that

Web3 could lead to greater autonomy for the public, enhanced transparency within existing systems, and more democracy overall. Additionally, with advances in digital identity management solutions, individuals will be empowered to own their data and make decisions independently or collectively - unchaining them from the traditional centralized institutions.

In the Next 5 Years, Web3 Might Gain Mass Adoption - Tech Leaders Say

While there’s not a clear definition of Web3, most IT companies consider it could gain mass adoption in the next 5 years. Not sure yet if this will happen with, or without the Metaverse as an element of Web3, but some of the already existing and implemented Web3 features on a smaller scale - such as Digital Arts for example would have a secured spot in getting mass adoption. 

According to the survey results, when asked about when web3 will get mass adoption 19.4% of the respondents answered that it could be in the next 2 years, while other 35.2% of respondents consider that web3 could be adopted in the next 5 years. 

More skeptical were 33.2% of IT companies by answering that we may see Web3 massively adopted between 5-10 years, while for 10+ years answered 5.6% of survey respondents. 

Decentralized Technologies Have a Moderate to Strong Impact Over How IT Companies Operate & Communicate

Web3 elements like the Metaverse, data ownership, and secure connection could have a certain impact on how IT companies operate and communicate. During the survey, the participants were asked to determine on a scale of 1 to 5 how impactful decentralized technologies will be to their work environments.

The survey respondents consider that decentralized technologies will definitely have an impact. 

• 40.2% of respondents appreciated as a moderate impact

• 37.2% of respondents consider that decentralization will have a strong impact

• 14.3% of respondents think that decentralization will totally change the way IT companies operate and communicate. 

At the same time, only 1.5% of respondents consider that decentralization will have no impact on how IT companies operate and communicate, and 6.1% of respondents think that the impact will be insignificant. 

Considering the answers above, it is important to note that some IT companies may be affected more than others by decentralized technologies - depending on the service offering type, field of activity, and target audience. 

ChatGPT - The App IT Companies Are Most Excited To Use

New-generation apps are some of the most important features of Web3 and are also the place where tech progress is highlighted. It’s no wonder that (yet) the most revolutionary app in terms of AI content generation leads the chart of the most popular digital product among IT companies. 

When asked What existing or new app are you most excited about? IT professionals answered that by far ChatGPT with a popularity rate of 64.1%. And the surprise doesn’t stop here - two other Microsoft products are in the top 5, according to the survey. LinkedIn was favored over other apps by 6.1% of respondents and Microsoft 365 was also chosen by 1.4% of the respondents.

Zoom and Salesforce were at the other end of the spectrum, being chosen by 0.9% of respondents each. 

How Web3 Will Impact Traditional Institutions? 

Besides small and medium businesses, which will definitely be touched by the mass adoption of Web3, governments, and corporations will find it most difficult to adapt. The main reason - a lot of processes to change, from communication to operational, data sharing, new working environments, and more. 

Tech Leaders have different opinions on how Web3 will impact centralized institutions, especially considering that Web3 to some extent means decentralization. Generally, the opinion is divided in 3 categories: 

• The importance of centralized institutions will be diminished in web3

• Centralized institutions will transform their processes accordingly

• It’s too early to draw conclusions on this subject as Web3 has not been shaped yet by features and apps.

Walter Steelman, the CEO of 11 Marketing+Desgin told that To date, it(Web3) appears to be a dream that is just beyond our reach.

At the same time, Romy Frederick - Business Developer at iLeaf Solutions thinks that Web3 could bring benefic transformations, but it’s too early for such predictions, as well saying that

Web3 technology has the potential to greatly disrupt traditional centralized institutions such as governments and corporations, by enabling more decentralized and democratic systems. This could lead to increased transparency, reduced corruption, and improved accountability, as well as giving individuals more control over their personal data and assets. However, the full extent of this impact remains to be seen, as Web3 is still in its early stages of development and adoption.

The same opinion is shared by Ashwin Thapliyal, that stated Web 3 may come with…]data concerns and maintaining regulations. It will be a very tricky case-by-case scenario. Too early to say right now

On the same note, Jeane Sumner, WebsiteHQ CEO comes with the following idea -

While Web3 is still in its early stages of development and adoption it's easy to imagine if it will have the potential to disrupt these more traditional institutions because of more transparency and accountability.

Yet, there are also tech leaders that consider Web3 as a transforming opportunity for traditional institutions, rather than a forcing circumstance. Pablo Pfister, 5w155 SA CEO thinks that

“Governmental institutions can become more efficient, and have information accessible more easily. Many corporations gain most of their profits from sitting in between the final user and the service, which can be radically changed by allowing direct control and delegating only part of the access to such corporations.”

In contrast, Aliaksandr Kot, Exposit Chief Commercial Officer states that

I don't believe the government can use WEB 3 advantages in terms of decentralized technologies at all, having a fear of losing access to this data or someone can have it unauthorized. Opposite we see how conservative governments are trying to isolate all their internal data and protect it against leaks.

Serge Lavrinchuck, Wild.codes founder, considers that Web3 could lead to a shift away from traditional centralized institutions by providing alternative systems for exchanging value, accessing services, and protecting personal data. For example, Web3 technologies like blockchain could allow individuals to control their own financial assets, rather than relying on banks. This could lead to new forms of social organization and more equitable distribution of wealth and power.

The most skeptical opinion among tech leaders within this survey comes from Brazil, where Leticia Mendonca, Pengreen Design Founder stated the following:

It's a threat for them(centralized institutions) because they lose control of the people, and I would include banks there too, the ones that fear the most. They are already rushing to have web3 incorporated into their process, but it's not decentralized. An example is Ripple, part of web3 but still a centralized ecosystem.

It may be indeed that centralized/traditional institutions are trying to transform Web3 into a centralized concept before it’s launched, however, this remains a theory until proven the opposite. 

Survey Conclusions

In conclusion, the survey results suggest that the transformation from Web2 to Web3 is a topic of great interest and importance to IT companies. While some respondents see Web3 as a dream that is currently beyond their reach, others recognize its potential to disrupt traditional centralized institutions such as governments and corporations, leading to greater transparency, reduced corruption, and improved accountability. 

However, the survey also indicates that there are concerns about data and regulatory issues, which will need to be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis. 

Despite the challenges, many respondents believe that Web3 has the potential to enable more efficient and accessible government institutions and empower individuals by giving them more control over their personal data and assets.

Overall, the survey suggests that while Web3 is still in its early stages of development and adoption, its potential impact is significant, and it is a topic that will continue to be closely monitored by IT companies.

Partner Companies

The survey was not limited to any geographical region or country and its main target was the global community of IT companies and web agencies that specialized in web development services. As such, survey respondents come from 988 different companies located in 35 countries across the globe. On this occasion, TechBehemoths is proudly announcing and crediting the list of partner companies that helped spreading the word and gathering answers for this survey. 

1. .wrk ,Portugal - 
2. 11 Marketing +Design, United States 
3. 3dev.io, Poland 
4. 5w155 SA, Switzerland 
5. 84EM, United States 
6. ABSYZ Software Consulting, India 
7. Acodez IT Solutions, India 
8. Adzglobe, India 
9. Agência Divulgar Meu Negócio, Brazil 
10. Agencia SEO & Marketing Digital René Rodríguez, Spain 
11. AHVCS, India 
12. Ai9, Bangladesh 
13. Aimprosoft, Ukraine                    
14. Amygdal, Bosnia and Herzegovina 
15. AMZ DOC INC., Pakistan 
16. Ancient, Mexico 
17. Andromeda Group, Portugal 
18. Antologic, Poland 
19. ASCMI LDA  Portugal 
20. Astha Technology Solutions Private Limited, India 
21. *instinctools, Germany 
22. AUBERT-DUMOND SAS, France 
23. Authorselvi, India 
24. Avail Advertising Pvt. ltd., India 
25. B1 Studio, Romania 
26. BacancyTechnology, India 
27. BDeveloper, India 
28. BEON.tech,  Argentina 
29. Beth Media, Germany 
30. Betlace, Ukraine 
31. Bluelupin Technologies, India 
32. BluWebMedia IT Services Pvt Ltd, India 
33. Boa Imagem, Brazil 
34. Boylen +, Australia 
35. Buzzvel, Portugal 
36. Byteout Software, United States 
37. CBETTER, India 
38. Bigiltoks, India and UK
39. Ciphers Digital Marketing, United States 
40. Click Leaders, Poland 
41. Codefia, Poland 
42. CodeInfluencer IT Solution, India 
43. Concise Software, Poland 
44. Cosmico Studios, USA  
45. CryptoApe, India 
46. Cubet Techno Labs, India 
47. DAC.digital, Poland 
48. David Martin Design, United States 
49. Decipher Zone, India                 
50. DENEVY s.r.o., Czech Republic 
51. Deqode, India 
52. Desarrollalab, Mexico 
53. DevRain, Ukraine 
54. Dexoc Solutions, India 
55. Dezital, Pakistan 
56. DICEUS, Lithuania         
57. Digital Dividend, Sweden, Pakistan     
58. Digitalhound Ltd, United Kingdom 
59. DNAMIC, Costa Rica 
60. Doomel Social Influencer Marketing, Brazil 
61. dot n pixel, Poland 
62. Dtech Studio, India 
63. dunp scpl, Italy                  
64. Eagle IT Solutions, North Macedonia 
65. Edvantis, Germany 
66. eQuest Solutions, India 
67. Espresso Labs, Brazil 
68. Exadel, United States 
69. Exemplifi, United States 
70. Exposit, Poland 
71. FBIP Website Designing And Development Company, India 
72. Feligrat Global Solutions, India 
73. Fingerprintscreative, India 
74. Five Jars, United States, Ukraine, Serbia 
75. Fively, Poland 
76. Flatirons Development, United States 
77. Gigalabs, Pakistan 
78. Globe Group S.A., Poland 
79. GrayCell Technologies Exports, India 
80. Green Duck Research, Ukraine                       
81. Groovy Technoweb PVT LTD, Australia, US, Germany 
82. Hello International Marketing Solutions, Pakistan 
83. Horizon Communications, Serbia 
84. hulo.dev, Ukraine 
85. HydraDev, Portugal 
86. Hydralab, Armenia 
87. OmniShop, United States 
88. ICODA, Poland 
89. iLeaf Solutions Pvt Ltd, India 
90. Infinkey Solutions Private Limited, Pakistan 
91. Influence IT Consulting Pty LTd, Australia 
92. Inovatis Group SA, Paraguay 
93. Inovector, Moldova                  
94. IT Craft YSA GmbH, Germany 
95. Jeff Social Marketing, Canada 
96. JohnCube, Poland 
97. Ki Teknology, Chile 
98. Koffein, Chile 
99. Lab3Web, Greece 
100. LeanyLabs,  Estonia                    
101. LiftUp, Romania, United States 
102. Locastic, Croatia 
103. LoopStudio, Uruguay 
104. Maasro Technologies, India                  
105. Major Tom, Canada, United States                     
106. Maksol Digital Solutions,  Pakistan, United Kingdom 
107. Mbicycle, USA 
108. Mentores Design, Brazil 
109. Michaela Bartoňová, Czechia 
110. MiRo Comunicazione Srl, Italy 
111. Mobiteam GmbH, Germany 
112. Mode Effect, United States 
113. MRM, Spain 
114. MSSOFTPC, India 
115. Muse Marketing Group Inc., Canada 
116. MWIMMERDESIGN, Germany 
117. Mythology Labs, Uruguay 
118. NCompass Ltd, UK 
119. Neo Vision, Romania 
120. NERDZ LAB, Ukraine 
121. NE Marketing & Efficiency, United States 
122. Nokto Studios SRL, Romania 
123. NOVACOMP, Costa Rica 
124. Omnisoftex Inc, Pakistan 
125. OnGraph Technologies Pvt Ltd, India 
126. OptiView 360, United States 
127. Ordinax Private Limited, India 
128. Pace Social Media, United States 
129. Pengreen Design, Brazil 
130. Pixelmatters, Portugal 
131. Plan A/B, Spain 
132. PowerFlite Communications LLC, United States 
133. Presitely, Bulgaria 
134. PRO Media 66, UK 
135. Qarbon IT, Poland 
136. Quadone, India 
137. Qualifast, Bulgaria 
138. Ralabs, Tallinn 
139. Real Wisconsin Website Design, America 
140. ROC.PH, The Philippines                    
141. Rocket Minds, Netherlands 
142. Saint Rollox Digital, Australia 
143. Select Pakistan, Pakistan 
144. SEO Expert Gold Coast, Australia
145. SEOLHR, Pakistan                
146. Shugert Marketing, Spain, Mexico, United States 
147. sitecentre, Australia 
148. SJInnovation, USA 
149. Skynet Technologies, United States 
150. Soft CodeOn, Pakistan 
151. Direction Biz, Mumbai 
152. We Define Apps 
153. Solar Digital, Ukraine            
154. SolidBrain, Ukraine, Poland, USA  
155. Solidstudio sp. z o.o., Poland 
156. Spyhunter IT Solution Team ledarIndian 
157. Square63, Pakistan 
158. Still Up Marketing, Canada 
159. SuburbanBuzz.com LLC, United States 
160. SVIK IT SOLUTION & SERVICES, Cyprus                   
161. SystemSeed, United States 
162. Talk Out Loud Inc, United States 
163. Teamarcs technologies, India 
164. TechDoodles, India 
165. TechMagic, Ukraine 
166. TEQTOP,  India 
167. The Belford Group, United States
168. The Digital Marketing People, Canada 
169. The Hotel SEO Agency, Greece 
170. The SEO Works, UK 
171. The Works, Australia 
172. Titan Blue Australia, Australia 
173. Trendz Web Solution, India 
174. Trinomix Technologies, India 
175. Triple Innovations, Croatia 
176. Tu Comercio Web, Argentina 
177. TUXDI Digital Agency, Argentina 
178. Twinning Pros, United States 
179. URO Software and Design Limited 
180. Veepal IT Services Pvt. Ltd., India 
181. Velvetech LLC, USA 
182. Vinsys, India 
183. NickFrance Design, United States  
184. webisoft, Canada 
185. Webnet Pakistan Pvt Ltd, Pakistan                 
186. WebNexta, Cayman Islands 
187. Weboo, Greece 
188. Website HQ, United States 
189. Wild.codes, Estonia Ukraine 
190. Wollow, Bulgaria 
191. Xeven Solutions, Pakistan, UK
192. Xfive, Poland 
193. XOOR,  Argentina 
194. Yes I Web, United States 
195. Yield Interactive, India 
196. ZH IT SOLUTIONS, United States