The culture around NFTs and other cryptowoo is genuinely vibrant and interesting. People have an enthusiasm and fearlessness about trying stuff that reminds the dinosaurs still among us of the early web days. This is especially true for young people just arriving on the scene.
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The web itself, meanwhile, is sterile and moribund. There's nothing fun or weird around that doesn't get immediately co-opted, and there's certainly no DIY or collaborative culture of making cool things. You can play with the toys Google or Amazon gives you, big whoop.
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The fact that the project at the heart of this pretty vibrant online culture is rotten makes it hard to accept that the social phenomenon around it is real and has depth and value. It's like watching animals come to a watering hole we know is filled with gasoline.
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But this is also an indictment of the web. Why did we let it basically turn into TV? Where's the outlet for talented young people who want to turn the world upside down, but don't care to sign on to the giant scam that is cryptocurrency? We don't have a good answer for them.
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And part of it is definitely that everyone today carries an incredible computer in their pocket and... you can't do anything with it. My first computer program at age 8 made an IBM desktop write profanity in an infinite loop. I wouldn't begin to know how to do that on an iPhone.
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As a fan of your writing from way back, I want to respectfully suggest that you may be halfway there; crypto and NFTs are a morally neutral engine for all kinds of good and bad behavior; the uniting flavor is newness not a particular morality.
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And the fact that this new culture can be monetized is precisely what pulls energy into it. The gateways of elite approval for culture, and algorithmic generation of such, are why the clear web is moribund. Creative people rightfully doubt they can sell their art...
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Good point about the energy/enthusiasm, I can’t think of anything similar for hobbyists/individuals. Very different motivations though, original web was tearing down barriers/scarcity, this is “wtf can I do with all this crypto money without divesting from crypto”
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Why would you want to divest from a better technology stack and return to fedwire/bankwire and out of control inflation?
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This is the only thing I agree with him about. All his views on Bitcoin is deeply incorrect but weirdly he's right about this.
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