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QC (in Berlin 7/29-??? w/ COVID

starting to wonder if "ownership" is just the wrong metaphor to describe what happens when you buy an NFT. obviously it's not the same as ownership in the traditional sense and a lot of people are correctly noticing that and being like "yo wtf". a new concept is needed

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@itsmeardenleigh

· Mar 11, 2021

The moon but it’s an NFT. You can buy it. It exists in the sky for all to see but only one person owns it. For bragging rights. Bragging rights to the moon. Who’s in.

5:23 AM · Mar 11, 2021Twitter Web App

QC (in Berlin 7/29-??? w/ COVID

Replying to

in the NFT nudes example, for me, the point is not that someone "really owns" the nude, it's that the person who is selling the nude is choosing to "point" to a specific copy of it. that pointing action is the actual value. it's sexy. people want that

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QC (in Berlin 7/29-??? w/ COVID

so actually the NFT use case that makes the most sense to me so far is NFT nudes. insofar as the NFT architecture imposes artificial scarcity on top of infinitely copyable information, at least an NFT nude gets to be like “this is the special copy that’s just for you big boy

”

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QC (in Berlin 7/29-??? w/ COVID

"pointing" is a very different metaphor for understanding what is happening than "ownership." it decenters the "owner" of the NFT and centers the "seller"; this is a thing the seller is doing to the NFT to generate its value

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QC (in Berlin 7/29-??? w/ COVID

"autographed copy"

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@shrinetothevine

Replying to @QiaochuYuan

Can't remember where I saw it, but the analogy of an NFT as the autographed copy makes a lot of sense

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QC (in Berlin 7/29-??? w/ COVID

hmmmmmm

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· Mar 13, 2021

NFTs are a new form of tradable ostentation rather than a new form of tradable ownership.

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Replying to

ownership is about exclusion. traditional IP creates artificial exclusion through law. w/NFT the only exclusive is the token, and the token only signifies its purchase. you're buying the ability to prove that you paid

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as to why one would want to own proof of having paid for an NFT, beats me

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Adele Dewey-Lopez

@AdeleDeweyLopez

Replying to

reminds me of the time the Yap islanders lost one of their rai stones (huge heavy stones used as currency) at sea they figured it must still be down there somewhere, so the stone remained in circulation as they could simply keep track of who "really" owned it at any given time

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