Dear reader,
We are here to explore the intersection of internet and creativity, so it’s only right that we take a brief pause in recapping Read Write Own so I can spin out on a Farcaster thinkpiece obviously!
Here are a few things I’ve been up to this past week:
hitting the NFT NYC unicorn circuit
writing about indie angel Nidia Martinez for iridescent wave
singing “I Insist” on guitar to celebrate its recent looks on Catalog
A few words on this piece before we dive in: there are many helpful guides to Farcaster that will give you concrete info on how to thrive there like this one and this. Hence the theme of this post, 10 Original Thoughts on Farcaster! What hasn’t been said or more thoroughly explored yet? That’s what I’m aiming for here. Thinking cap: on! 100 $degen
10 Original Thoughts on Farcaster!
Words are valued. I think Twitter started out like this, but we’ve wandered a long way from that place of largely prioritizing thoughtful discourse. People are conversing and sharing ideas and genuine insights — and it’s on all kinds of topics! The Reddit feel of the app via channels provides you with niche communities to jump right into. People appreciate BOOKS there. They appreciate iridescent wave there! Fire.
And so is being social! This feels important because I’m making a distinction here between the largely one-way self-promotional stance we have come to take on most social media apps vs. actually conversing with others, which Farcaster’s design fosters. It’s an aspect of Reddit that I really enjoy that is present here.
It feels like a fresh start and I love that. Socially, algorithmically…. Survey on Warpcast says that we are all tired of performative social media dominated by influencers. Also, on Farcaster, I’m not just interacting with my web3 friends and mutuals; I’m talking to strangers. All the time. And I love that, so that aspect of the app works for me. Will it last? I don’t know; it’s an interesting question of “how do we maintain the culture we’ve built here when this thing goes pop & gets super popular?” but I’m not really stressing about that right now. I’m enjoying the $degen ride.
People on there fxck with decentralization. It’s kind of refreshing to be around a bunch of people who are actively interested in the tech of web3, and to be where the builders are. You can hang out on the cutting edge of things here if you follow along closely enough. My current Twitter-sphere and feed doesn’t have this quality; I’m connecting with people on Farcaster whom I just wouldn’t find elsewhere.
People are building stuff and I am people! Shoutout to Origin Story who touched on how Farcaster is a great place for artists who are also builders in a recent X space hosted by leo pastel — artists who are also interested in really getting into the nuts & bolts of web3. I’ve been on this wave of deepening my learning & understanding of blockchain technology, and I’m enjoying being more immersed in that world vs. drowning in influencer culture on Twitter.
The app DID suck at first but it doesn’t anymore because I found people I like there. Like many, I downloaded Warpcast long ago and then put it down for a while. In the time I spent away, people I like and respect went over there and built communities. Now i have gaycoinz, queer friends who support each other and spread that through tips and just genuine convo. Now I have people in /words subscribing to my BLOG!
The money incentive is CENTRAL to this because the redistribution of money is CENTRAL to blockchain technology! So for me, the question becomes, is this app valuable enough to me without the $degen tips, without airdrops? Can I feel like I belong? In short, yes, and that’s why I have been hanging out here and not “earning blood” (direct quote lol) on that web3 video app.
Real people I know who are the fxckin best got this season two airdrop of $degen. Not just devs, and that gives Farcaster credibility. Beyond that, though, are there people enjoying the app who didn’t benefit from the airdrop? Yes I believe so (me)!
I WANT OFF TWITTER. I have for a while now! I don’t want to be contributing to a transphobe, alt-right piece of shit’s company doing well. Period. So if there is anything out there that is even maybe blowing up in a positive-for-diverse-creators-and-web3 kind of way, I’m checking it out. IMO, Lens couldn’t be that because it was exclusive. Warpcast is the first app that’s come along and made me forget about X, and that is significant!
Everything is what you make of it. Yeah, that’s right. This is a thinkpiece after all. :P For now: until another mildly amusing social media app offers me LITERAL MONEY for participating, I’m gonna be hanging out on Farcaster with my REAL FRIENDS that I met last week.
xo C
