Web3 Middle Class: Please, join the Revolution!

“I advocate a total revolution. The trouble with a semi-revolution, it’s likely to be slow as evolution.
Who wants to spend the ages in collusion? With Compromise, Complacence, and Confusion? […]
They won’t be stopped by doing things by halves. I say that for a permanent solution. There’s nothing like a total revolution! […]”
Oscar Williams

Starbucks, Disney, Microsoft, Meta, Google, Accenture, Nike, Gucci, Mastercard… A lot of big company names are leading the way in
Web3 x Metaverse to reach the next-gen. consumers. And that’s great.

But as history is repeating itself, we already know that, in order for the Web3 revolution to be mass adopted, it has to emerge out from the ground.

And, even if our first thought would be that the revolution comes from the end-users, we better believe it should come from SMB Brands & Creators of every industry or, as we call them, the “Web3 Middle Class” (referring also to the “Creator Middle Class” from a Li Jin essay). Why that?

Because, from an end user's perspective, the internet is…well…internet.
People don’t necessarily understand what they use a lot: I’d like to remind the community that we’re 40 years into the internet, a quarter-century into the mainstream consumer internet, and you’ll find that most people can’t describe what it is. And it’s exactly the same with Web3 or as the excellent Rex Woodbury from Index Ventures would say in this article:

“Most People Won’t Know Web3 does even Exist”.

But for SMB Brands & Creators, it’s a completely different game to play as it is critical to tackle today the challenges of this new Web3 reality that will become rapidly the “new online”. SMB Brands & Creators may think they have time, and that they first need to consolidate their digital strategy, but this comes with a risk: losing their digital freedom, once again.

Here are 3 main principles for SMB Brands & Creators to join & lead the Web3 Revolution now👇

Meme made with ❤️ from Liberty Leading the People
Eugène Delacroix, 1830

1 — Ownership & Governance

In our digital era, ownership means everything. But, surprisingly, we completely lose the importance of this word as we navigate now in a weird digital world where:

• Brands give their money to platforms in form of Ads or Commissions to help them target & speak to their own customers. Not new ones. I mean, when you paid millions to have followers on your social media account, should you not be, at least, the “owner” of this community?
  Same with centralized marketplaces where Brands give hefty commissions to be visible or on top of the search but do not have access to the data & can not even discuss with their customers outside the platform without being banned. Which business would reasonably act like that in the real world? 🤷‍♂️
• Creators create literally all the value of social media platforms but are treated like cogs in a machine where they are dispossessed of every ownership content right & struggle to live from their passion running after mass followers & reach for brand sponsorship deals.
  Worse, if the algorithm changes or if they get banned for no reason, they’re losing their business & community. Would you act the same for a home you rent? Investing thousands of your own money in a place that you don’t own with no backup if you’re kicked out…

These walled gardens, in every industry, have to become the exception, not the norm. And I know it’s a freaky hard decision to make as a middle-class Brand or Creator relies a LOT on platforms (in the Travel industry, it’s nearly 60% for a hotel 😱).

But at least, without being in total opposition, make it a priory in your digital strategy and transition in the next 5 years. As a Brand, take a bit of your social media or SEM budget and invest in Web3 acquisition strategies & format to take back control of your data & content. As a Creator, embrace the NFT revolution & create a direct link with your community while protecting your creative work.

At least, for public brands & institutions, it’s a matter of governance. If you don’t take the position now on Web3 & Metaverse, others will. And they surely will impose (again) their centralized framework (👋 Meta).

2 — Community MOAT & Authenticity

Same here, for people who have experienced the very beginning of the internet revolution (Web1), the main purpose was to discuss with a few people, and mainly friends (👋 Caramail). Then the Social Media era became the new normal and the purpose is now to have thousands of followers…But the truth is, neither Creators nor Brands know their community. I mean, truly know it. Of course, you have analytics given by platforms & you “target” audience X or Y but do you have a clear view of your “100 true fans”? Who would act like that in the real world having thousands of friends for a dinner & not knowing them? That’s insane.

Web3 is your unique opportunity window to take back control of your community & to truly create a direct relationship with them. This human connection is your one-way ticket to your digital freedom outside the platform’s framework, unleashing your authenticity. If you analyze the success of a brand like Patagonia or even Airbnb at its beginnings, it will appear obvious they have the community MOAT in common as they spent a lot of time interacting directly with their members & transmitting their core values. It’s not even possible in today’s platforms framework. As an example, if you go on Booking.com, what differentiates Hotel X from Hotel Y or Z (once you’ve selected all your needed criteria and with the same 9/10 reviews rate)? The photos? But the vibes are so different from one hotel to another one…

Web3 through NFTs is no different as the purpose is to create an exclusive relationship with your fandom. And as the technology is now mainstream, you have no good reason not to try it as soon as possible.

3 — Digital Sustainability

If you take the official definition, “Sustainability is the ability to maintain or support a process over time. Sustainability is often broken into three core concepts: economic, environmental, and social.”

Again, I was born just before the internet was going mainstream and I never asked myself (before the Web3 era) about the impact my digital life had on the planet or on Creator’s daily life. We live in a world where we fight for a more sustainable way to travel & consume on an everyday basis but we still spend 4–5hrs a day on social media & video-first apps than have somehow a massive impact on climate, mental health, and with no revenue share in the counterpart of our attention & engagement. It’s like saying to someone you don’t know “give me your car for a useless road trip and I won’t even pay you for the fuel…”. It makes no sense 🤷‍♂️

It’s time for us to better understand that our digital life is not opposed to our real life but it’s an entire part of who we are. It’s our identity.

Web3 & Blockchain technology is a great way and a unique opportunity to completely reshape our digital legacy by introducing a direct business model where Brands & Creators can monetize directly with their community and reward them for their engagement or actions and where digital carbon neutrality is the core center of our digital behavior.

At least, we have to understand this new network as again, it’s part of our everyday life.

Conclusion

For Web3 insiders, this type of article has been seen/read a thousand times BUT for 99% of the people we met with our team on a daily basis, we are still in the evangelization phase where we have to explain why the digital era we are living in is not sustainable at all and will be worst for our kids if we do not take our responsibilities as SMB Brands & Creators.

So to the whole Web3 middle class, I have one last word: The greatest story in the Web3 x Metaverse is just beginning, and you’ve got a lead role.
So please, embrace it 🙏

You’re a Travel Creator or a Travel Brand interested in NFTs & Web3?
Contact us if you’re interested in working together and getting early access to our platform. Drop us a note at hey@wytland.co

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