The last day of the Summit I spent the least time on the main stage. I jumped around the hacker space and workshops, from whiteboard to whiteboard, engaging in intimate conversations ranging from cybernetic forests (Terra0) to dungeons and dragons on the blockchain (thanks for the Solidity workshop Deepyr!).

The most refreshing thing about these conversations (and Web3 Summit as a whole) was nobody was pitching anything. Everyone was there to learn, to discuss, and to share. Conversations were focused on theories, ideas, and opinions of the future — not prices, returns, or markets.

After three days eating pasta out of tiny boxes and networking over Krombacher Pils’, I felt that we all knew each other a lot better. On Day Three I felt like a true part of a community — more so a movement. Amir Taaki (who’s talk was rousing to say the least) made one statement regarding Bitcoin, but one that I believe applied to the Web3 movement as a whole.

The most refreshing thing about these conversations (and Web3 Summit as a whole) was nobody was pitching anything. Everyone was there to learn, to discuss, and to share. Conversations were focused on theories, ideas, and opinions of the future — not prices, returns, or markets.

After three days eating pasta out of tiny boxes and networking over Krombacher Pils’, I felt that we all knew each other a lot better. On Day Three I felt like a true part of a community — more so a movement. Amir Taaki (who’s talk was rousing to say the least) made one statement regarding Bitcoin, but one that I believe applied to the Web3 movement as a whole.

“We need to have discourse, to develop a narrative that gets us all focused on an objective. We need to build that consensus. What ideas are powering this? Human endeavor is always organized around a shared vision, a religion.” — Amir Taaki

Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting we start a cult. Web3 Summit gave all of us the platform to speak and contribute to the future we’re all devoting our lives to building. I think Web3 doesn’t just represent a concept or certain technical stack — it represents a vision, a movement, and a revolution.

But we all need to remember that there is much work to be done. As the Summit comes to a close, we need to stay conscious of our role in how this future unfolds. Instead of writing my own words, I wanted to share ones that I came across:

“Today, we stand at a fork in the road. One path leads off to the creation of what many believe will be a fairer, more just, decentralised society. Yet if we choose to do nothing, instead continuing along the current path — or perhaps we simply fail to coordinate our efforts in collaborative way — the road we travel may very well lead only to a dystopian surveillance society with little personal freedom. A world in which we ultimately become powerless to do anything as our data is consumed by the insatiable appetite of machine-learning and AI algorithms, as they relentlessly build and optimise the tools of the state.

Today is not a time for idealism. Realism and collaboration must win the day. But only if we find a way to overcome our differences and self-interest.

The software is open source. The community is growing. And the door is open. But not forever. It’s up to us — every one of us — to roll up our sleeves and get involved. The future depends on it.” — Dug Campbell (MaidSafe)

Web3 Foundation (@web3foundation) — thank you for hosting an enlightening, inspiring, and extremely well done conference. Absolutely can’t wait till the next one.

If you’ll be at Devcon next week and would like to continue the revolution — let’s meet. Reach out at abbey@onwardlabs.co or on Twitter @abbey_titcomb.