When I first attended FarCon, my nervousness quickly turned into excitement after meeting some of the friendliest, most down-to-earth people who don’t take themselves too seriously. I realized that people in Web3 are way more diverse and open-minded than I had stereotyped them to be. I used to be in consulting before switching to my current startup job. Whenever I asked people, “What do you do?” or “What are you working on?” It was mostly out of formality. But this time around, I genuinely couldn’t wait to hear their whole story.
I was so happy I felt this way; the fear of being perceived as an outsider crashing their world by everybody was real before FarCon.
This welcoming sentiment has made me more eager to learn about people’s choices to migrate their consumer experiences or build a professional career on-chain. Here are some of the genuine questions I wish I could ask every interesting builder/creator/user I meet:
What brought you to Web3 and how involved do you consider yourself?What’s your vision?What does success look like for Web3? What do you want to see by 2035?With new products/services (scam or not) coming out everyday, Web3 builders seem to be crowding the space. How many more lifecycles do you give it before the dust settles a bit?What’s an ideal world where Web2 and Web3 coexist?
If the product you are building fails, how do you keep your faith alive, and/or do you know what you will build next?How are you advocating? Are you telling all your friends to try out Web3, and if so, what has worked best in convincing them to take the first step?
I’ve been seeking resources that could answer these questions of mine. Ideally something that wouldn’t just throw me into the abyss of the unknown, but break it down to me piece by piece while keeping me engaged. While I have managed to find many wonderful media forms that break down Web3 concepts for me, I am also looking for stories that are simple, humane, and consumer-oriented. What if we could shorten the learning curve by making it feel less like a technical hurdle and more like a lifestyle? We need more common languages that help outsiders digest—how is this relevant to my everyday life? I'm lucky that my job introduced me to crypto, and my curiosity has kept me going. However, it's often unclear what makes ordinary people want to learn about crypto in the first place.
Imagine a media format that helps people make their first contact with crypto. Perhaps a video where a builder or Web3 creative gets casually interviewed while going about their daily life, sharing snippets of how they enjoy their hobbies or build their career on-chain. The elements of Web3 would be woven in subtly, without overhyping the superiority of an on-chain world. We are embracing and building a future for creators on-chain, so why not make storytelling part of the creative landscape and use it as a bridge between Web2 and Web3? You don’t have to understand what a protocol is or what minting means; but hopefully, after watching this media, you'll be drawn to the person’s energy and life story, see their passion, and understand the incentive that keeps them going.
If you're a builder or a Web3 believer, maybe it's time to think about how you want to tell your story. Consider sharing it without relying on jargon to convince me of the world you believe in. No story is too small; I’d love to hear yours one day.
