It seems that everyone is planning to get the next billion people on board Web3. Nike, Time Magazine, Budweiser, Nickelodeon and a host of other influential brands (nft now included!) have all pledged to get the masses on board. But what will it Real take to take blockchain technology from niche to mainstream?
Looking at the progress so far, it seems that few have a serious idea of how the metaverse can become a reality.
So to try to determine what could break the barrier between Web2 and Web3 once and for all, we turned to experts and holders of the Now Pass – the access pass to the Now Network, the foundation for all our initiatives to shape the future. of tokenized media and pioneer of a community-based media model – for input.
Here’s what the citizens of the blockchain had to say.
Better education
The need for education was repeated by many. According to several members of the Now Pass community we spoke to, education remains the most important consideration for bringing NFTs to the masses. Specifically, this means going beyond just providing interested enthusiasts with a link to an NFT 101 guide. Rather, educating consumers about Web3’s potential should be a more active process.
As a Now Pass holder and brand marketer Liam Darmody says, the average Joe still thinks of NFTs as nothing more than Internet JPEGs. “It sounds cliché, but [Web3 needs to focus on] education, utility and practical application. The average person in the ‘mass’ hears Web3 and thinks of cartoon jpegs,” Darmody wrote in an nft now Discord chat.
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“It’s easy to understand why, but the fact is that NFTs and Web3 technology have so much more to offer than that. The easier we make it the norm to understand that these technologies are just an evolution of other things we do today, the faster [mainstream adoption] will happen,” he added.
Now Pass holder sprite offered more insight into this topic and said that education, combined with popularization, will bring Web3 closer to bridging the gap with mainstream consumers. “Web3 technology needs better education and popularization to help more people understand its benefits and opportunities. This can be done by organizing online courses, holding lectures and seminars, publishing articles and books, etc.”, they wrote.
Now pass holders are not alone in their opinion. The team behind the NFT marketplace Kreatorhood also says that education is the first and most important step.
A shift in perspective
In the same vein as improving education, some said a shift in perspective — or perhaps even a total rebranding of NFTs — could help those outside of Web3 take an interest in the blockchain.
For some, like Sprite, this means bringing better social media marketing strategies to Web3 to “communicate the concepts and applications of blockchain technologies to a wider audience.” But for others, it means getting consumers excited about what the blockchain actually is and does, by providing a context that isn’t obscured by the negative connotations NFTs can carry.
“Too many people hear ‘NFT’ or ‘Web3’ and think ‘scam’ or ‘Ponzi scheme’ when they should be thinking ‘access pass’ and ‘suite of community building tools’.” CDNow Pass holder and the founder of the Web3 writing community Tramp Magazine, said. Adding to that, “we need to start using ‘NFT’ as a technical specification, not a categorical description. We need to spend more time focusing on the ethical building blocks of Web3 rather than focusing too much on the money.”
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Adding to this point, Now Pass Holder The Big Good suggested that transparency could potentially help users gain a better preliminary understanding of Web3. He further noted that it may have been the reluctance of Web2 companies to openly discuss their URL or back-end structures that may have prompted customers not to care about what goes on behind the scenes.
Writing in the nft now Discord, he said, “I sometimes worry that we worry too much about getting people go inside crypto before we bring them into the concept or idea we are going for.
Yet there are still those on the other side of this argument who believe that user acquisition should really be a primary concern of the Web3 community. For them, exposing consumers to the “access passes” and “suites of community-based building tools” referred to by CD could be the quickest way to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3.
The need for practical integration
In recent years, “integration” has sometimes become known as a buzzword akin to “community” and “utility.” But just as the last two terms have gained weight in Web3, so too does the idea that integration and practical application can be key to getting the masses on board.
“The Web3 community needs to launch more innovative and practical applications to make people feel the real value of Web3 technology. These applications should solve real problems such as digital identity, secure payments, decentralized social media and more.” Sprite wrote in the nft now Discord.
Even beyond education and improving public sentiment, integration remains a top priority for the many builders striving to lower the barrier to access Web3. For these administrators of blockchain technology, and to the point previously made by Darmody, simply getting users in is not enough. The NFT community needs to do more to convey Web3’s effectiveness to even those who are skeptical.
“[The Web3 community] should focus on targeting large companies and local governments to accept crypto payments for goods and services,” Now Pass holder Crypto La Revolution said. “No one is going to adopt something that is not useful in their daily life. A huge profit would be if Amazon or Alibaba accepted crypto payments.”
Of course, such an expansion would be a big win for Web3. And while the proliferation of Soulbound Tokens and other innovative tokenized endeavors may yield similar results in the campaign to become mainstream, the barrier to entry for many Web3 technologies must be taken into account in order for the “practical” part of practical application to become a reality .
“Current Web3 applications and wallets often require users to have technical knowledge and understanding of blockchain concepts to use, which is a huge barrier for most people. Therefore, the Web3 community should focus on improving the user interface and interaction design to make it more intuitive and understandable,” Sprite wrote.
Still, a common thread can be drawn between the many ideas on how to break the barrier between Web2 and Web3. And that’s this: Web3 leaders need to focus on decentralization and really let their community lead.
While this focus on decentralization may seem like a given in Web3, it is sadly lacking in many projects and platforms. This is why XoaNow Pass holder and leader of the CryptoSkulls community, felt it was worth reiterating this point.
“In terms of where we should focus, I think we should create a platform that gives other NFT communities a voice through community building. Especially through projects and DAOs that empower talented artists and builders to create and network with like-minded people,” Xoao said in the nft now Discord.
And added that this is ultimately the most critical part of Web3. “The history and provenance of the blockchain is a very important part of NFTs. The cultural significance of NFTs’ innovation is part of our legacy and I believe this should not be forgotten when it comes to Web3 education and the benefits, potential and opportunities it brings to the community,” he said.
Editor’s Note: Want to share your thoughts and insights with nft now readers? We are working towards a more community-based media model. Visit the Now Pass website for more information.