Here’s a Fresh Idea Shaking Up the New Internet
Hey everyone, John here! Welcome back to the blog where we break down the tricky world of tech into bite-sized, easy-to-understand pieces. Today, we’re looking at something new called Sonic. It’s a project that’s quietly making some big changes in the way the next version of the internet, often called Web3, works. It’s all about who gets rewarded for their hard work, and Sonic has a pretty bold answer.
Let’s dive in and unpack this together!
First, What is This “Web3” We Keep Hearing About?
Before we can talk about Sonic, we need to get on the same page about the world it lives in.
Lila: “Okay, John, I have to stop you right there. I hear the term ‘Web3’ all the time, and I just nod along, but I honestly have no idea what it means. Is it like a new web browser?”
That’s a fantastic question, Lila! It’s one of the most common points of confusion. Think of the internet’s history in a few simple steps:
- Web1 (The “Read-Only” Web): This was the early internet of the 1990s. You could go to a website and read information, but you couldn’t really interact with it. It was like a giant, digital encyclopedia.
- Web2 (The “Read-Write” Web): This is the internet most of us know today. Think social media (Facebook, X), video sharing (YouTube), and blogs. We can not only read content but also create and share our own. The catch is that big companies own the platforms and control the data and the rules.
- Web3 (The “Read-Write-Own” Web): This is the new idea. It aims to give the power back to the users. Instead of a single company owning everything, the network is run by its users in a shared way. Think of it as a version of the internet where you have more control and even ownership over your digital stuff.
This “ownership” part is key. Web3 often uses technologies like blockchain (the tech behind Bitcoin) to make this happen. And with any system that involves value, a big question comes up: how does the money flow?
The Old Way: Rewarding the “Guards”
In many current Web3 systems, there’s a group of very important players who keep the network running smoothly and securely. They are often called “validators.”
Lila: “Validators? What do they do? Does it have something to do with validating parking?”
Haha, not quite, but you’re on the right track with the idea of checking something! Think of validators as the super-trustworthy accountants or security guards of the network. When someone wants to do something—like send money or use an app—the validators all check the transaction to make sure it’s legitimate and follows the rules. They are essential for keeping the network safe and honest.
For doing this important job, they get paid a fee. In many systems, a large portion of all the fees generated on the network goes to these validators. It makes sense; you need to pay your security guards well! But it means that the people actually building the apps and tools on the network might not be getting the biggest piece of the pie.
Sonic’s Big Switch: Paying the “Builders” Instead
This is where Sonic comes in with its game-changing idea. The original article we’re looking at puts it simply: Sonic is changing the economic model by giving 90% of all fees directly to the developers.
Let’s use an analogy. Imagine a giant shopping mall. In the traditional model, the mall owner (the validator) takes a huge cut of the rent and sales from every store. In Sonic’s model, it’s like the mall owner decides to take only a tiny fee for keeping the lights on and instead gives 90% of all the money made in the mall directly back to the people who own the individual stores (the developers or “builders”).
This is a massive shift! It creates a huge incentive for creative people to come and build cool, useful, and fun applications on Sonic. The idea is that if you reward the creators, you’ll attract the best talent, and they’ll build amazing things that bring more users to the platform.
Making Web3 Feel Less Scary and More Familiar
Sonic isn’t just changing the money flow. It’s also trying to solve two other big problems that often make Web3 feel complicated for newcomers.
1. Simpler, Safer Accounts
The first feature is something called “native account abstraction.”
Lila: “Whoa, that sounds incredibly technical. ‘Native account abstraction’? My brain just shut off. Can you explain that in plain English, please?”
Of course, Lila! It’s a fancy term for a very simple idea. You know how you log into your email with a username and password? Or how you can reset your password if you forget it? Web3 has traditionally been much clunkier. You get a super-long, complex “key” that you absolutely cannot lose. If you do, your account and everything in it are gone forever. It’s not very user-friendly.
Account Abstraction is a technology that makes a Web3 account work more like a regular online account. It lets you have things like:
- Password resets.
- Using your phone’s fingerprint sensor to log in.
- Setting up multiple owners for one account.
- Creating rules, like a daily spending limit.
The word “native” just means this easy-to-use system is built into Sonic from the very beginning, not bolted on as an afterthought.
2. More Flexible Fees
The second feature mentioned is “dynamic fee structures.”
Lila: “Okay, ‘dynamic’ means changing, right? So, the fees change?”
Exactly! You nailed it. Imagine you’re trying to order a ride-share. When it’s raining and everyone is trying to get a car, the prices go up (that’s “surge pricing”). But late at night when it’s quiet, the prices are much lower. That’s a dynamic price.
A “dynamic fee structure” in Web3 works the same way. The cost to do something on the network isn’t always the same. It can go up when the network is very busy and go down when it’s quiet. This can be great for users, because it means you can often save money by choosing to use the network during off-peak hours.
Our Quick Take
John’s thoughts: I find this approach really refreshing. For years, the focus in this space has been on the underlying technology and security, which is important. But focusing so intensely on rewarding the actual creators—the people who build the things we use every day—is a powerful strategy. If you make it easy and profitable for developers to build, you often end up with a vibrant ecosystem of amazing new services.
Lila’s thoughts: As someone who is still new to all this, Sonic’s approach makes so much more sense to me. The idea of paying the people who make the apps directly just feels right and fair. And honestly, anything that gets rid of those terrifyingly long, un-losable passwords and makes it feel more like a normal app login is a huge plus. It makes me feel like I could actually use it without being scared of making a mistake!
This article is based on the following original source, summarized from the author’s perspective:
Sonic’s Quiet Disruption of Web3: Incentivizing Builders,
Not Validators