I've seen both ends of the NFT flex you mention: the one that is a pure flex, from a twitter account obsessed with wealth creation.
And then I see other ones that feel pure and fun and organic. Many crypto early-adopters were mocked and told to be crazy. So adding the cryptopunk to their avatar signals a message of pride, and one of "welcome to the future."
Appreciate that! And thank you for being one of my early sounding boards for this piece. Glad you feel this captured the appropriate nuance surrounding the topic!
As someone who works heavily in NFT's right now, this really resonated for me. I sometimes struggle to explain to people the "why" of a purchase, and tend to focus on owning the original or the master (great analogy) that you mention. Tying it into a status symbol or belonging (that is another word I think would fit well in this discussion) makes a ton of sense. We are always looking for groups to be part of. Owning a crypto punk makes you part of a group or class.
Thanks Marty! And totally agree re "belonging."When I think back to many of the sub-cultures I've been a part of in the past—fencing, skateboarding, and now surfing—it's really to see how I used certain behaviors to signal that I was a part of the group. And of course, crypto art and collectibles are no different!
Yea I think even language can be a part of that. We see that in video games, where not knowing the right slang can make you feel like part of the out crowd. So having that identifying knowledge is as important as displaying a badge that shows it. Twitch subscriber badges are in a way an early form of what we are talking about - a digital good that shows you belong
Fantastic overview.
I've seen both ends of the NFT flex you mention: the one that is a pure flex, from a twitter account obsessed with wealth creation.
And then I see other ones that feel pure and fun and organic. Many crypto early-adopters were mocked and told to be crazy. So adding the cryptopunk to their avatar signals a message of pride, and one of "welcome to the future."
Appreciate that! And thank you for being one of my early sounding boards for this piece. Glad you feel this captured the appropriate nuance surrounding the topic!
As someone who works heavily in NFT's right now, this really resonated for me. I sometimes struggle to explain to people the "why" of a purchase, and tend to focus on owning the original or the master (great analogy) that you mention. Tying it into a status symbol or belonging (that is another word I think would fit well in this discussion) makes a ton of sense. We are always looking for groups to be part of. Owning a crypto punk makes you part of a group or class.
Thanks Marty! And totally agree re "belonging."When I think back to many of the sub-cultures I've been a part of in the past—fencing, skateboarding, and now surfing—it's really to see how I used certain behaviors to signal that I was a part of the group. And of course, crypto art and collectibles are no different!
Yea I think even language can be a part of that. We see that in video games, where not knowing the right slang can make you feel like part of the out crowd. So having that identifying knowledge is as important as displaying a badge that shows it. Twitch subscriber badges are in a way an early form of what we are talking about - a digital good that shows you belong
Another great point!