Stella Achenbach

Designer | The ALANA project, Founder | Operations & Governance Leader

Resources | The Creator’s Guide to Transitioning from Web2 to Web3

As a creator, your content is your livelihood, but on Web2 platforms, you often don’t own your audience, your data, or even your work. What if you could reclaim control, earn more fairly, and build a community that truly belongs to you? Welcome to Web3.

Background Story

Recently, it has been less obvious, but as some of you know, my background is that of a creator. I studied and worked in the fashion industry before moving into digital design, and eventually, I fully immersed myself in topics of education and decentralized governance in Web3.

Some of you might ask, though, who don't know about The ALANA Project, what Web3 is? The fast answer is: Web3 is the next version of the Internet, already available to users, built on blockchain level, and allows you to own your data and sometimes even a piece of the technology you are using!

Why Transition from Web2 to Web3?

Like all older technologies, Web2 platforms come with limitations. Like an old computer, while it might still work, certain software just doesn't work on it anymore. In the case of Web2 platforms, especially security, data ownership, and data centralization have been causing issues for users. To name just two bigger examples:

The biggest scandal on the matter is probably the one in 2010 involving Meta (Facebook) and Cambridge Analytica. Up to 87 million Facebook users' personal data was harvested without their consent and used for targeted political advertising and mass manipulation. The New York Times and BBC did an in-depth report on this. The most profound write-up can be found on Wikipedia, citing all available resources in one large document.

In 2024, hackers accessed Ticketmaster’s centralized database, stealing the personal details (names, addresses, phone numbers, partial credit card details) of up to 560 million users. The breach was possible due to a compromise in a third-party vendor’s credentials, highlighting the risks of central data storage as reported by the BBC.

Essentially, the most significant risk in Web2 technology lies in its data centralization, which rests in the hands of a few individuals (company owners/ board of directors, etc.). But there are so many reasons why switching to Web3 matters:

My journey within the aforementioned digital fashion community was a massive driver in becoming a founder myself. It felt like, for the first time, I belonged, and others shared values similar to mine. It made me feel confident enough to try.

ALANA received many good responses from fellow creators, but blockchain tech seemed very tricky for them to understand. I put one and one together and felt I had a bit of a solution there.

Builders in ALANA = People with a creative background who are moving on to learning more about tech driven creative solutions, such as visual coding, game engines, training their own AI models, etc..

1️⃣ Unlike Web2 tech giants that harvest your data, blockchain-based applications let you control information or even earn money with your data if you wish to share it.

2️⃣ Data is encrypted and distributed across decentralized networks, making it nearly impossible to hack or alter.

3️⃣ Every transaction is recorded on a public ledger, so you can verify actions and hold organizations accountable.

4️⃣ By automating "trust" with smart contracts, blockchain eliminates unnecessary fees and delays, specifically for repetitive actions.

5️⃣ Blockchains operate around the clock, enabling instant transactions and collaboration; no more waiting for banks or business hours.

My Web2 to Web3 Toolkit: What I Use Now

I started switching to alternative tooling some time ago, but I did it the same way I recommend to you guys: calmly, transitionally, one step at a time.

How the Transition Feels

Like everything new, this feels weird at the beginning, and you might encounter a few hiccups, but I promise you will overcome them if you believe in yourself and are not alone. I had friends with me along the way who were further into all of this and helped me and stood by me as I learned my way around in Web3.

I promise the rewards truly outweigh the challenges! Owning your data, especially in these times, is absolutely invaluable. I hope this message reaches everyone who wants to hear it because it is crucially important: Be the change, don't wait for it to happen, because it might not be the type of change you had hoped for!