There's this idea that the only reason people use Hive apps is because there are tokens to be made here. I understand the thought, and I'm not judging those who hold this view, but I wonder if that assumption is actually part of the bigger issue.
To be blunt, most people use the internet to communicate without ever considering the possibility of making a single dime. This isn't to say people shouldn't make money creating content, only that earning money isn't necessarily everyone's expectation.
In the "normal" internet experience, most people aren't content creators at all. They're content consumers. That doesn't diminish their contribution to the network effect, but it does establish a clear distinction between roles.
On Web3, however, we've largely embraced the story that everyone is a creator.
In the beginning, everyone was a blogger because writing was the only meal being served. The medium changed over time, but the dream remained largely the same:
"I'm going to make money making content."
It seems to me that for many people, the effort required to learn Web3 was only worth it if there was compensation waiting at the end of the road.
In other words, it's a bit like leg day at the gym. It may not be your favorite day of the week, but you do it because the overall results justify the effort.
The parallel thought becomes:
"I may not be a content creator, but if I want to be part of Hive, I have to create content. Otherwise, what am I doing here?"
But what about content consumers?
Who are they?
How do they contribute?
Do we have doomscrollers? Article sharers? Meme propagandists?
Are any of those roles assigned to Hiveans?
Self-assigned, of course.
Sadly, I think the answer is mostly no.
Yes, a writer or vlogger can also consume content, and many do. But most see themselves primarily as outputters rather than inputters, and therefore have "no time" for activities that bear no direct fruit.
A confused notion, in my opinion, but one that nonetheless persists.
Once again, I find myself circling back to the idea of friction.
My working theory revolves around effort and the expectation of being rewarded for that effort.
But what happens if interaction itself becomes effortless?
What if consuming content becomes so easy that participation no longer feels like work?
Doesn't that flip the tortilla?
I think it just might.
With that in mind, I've been working on something.
Truthfully, the seed of this idea originated with friends of mine, though it was Matt's actions that helped mature it into something tangible. I won't tag them, though they deserve the credit. The point is that the idea isn't entirely mine.
Less than one minute until the first comment.
Today, I achieved that twice.
I could hardly believe it.
From the moment I showed my cousin and a friend the app—snapie.io, to be exact—to the moment they made their first post, less than a minute had passed.
Less than a minute.
Maybe I'm onto something.
Or maybe I'm simply witnessing what happens when friction finally gets out of the way.
Either way, this is how easy it has to be.
Otherwise, we've learned nothing.
MenO
