TLTR: Dear Hiveans, let’s establish a #community grounded in content and engagement. Our goal is change. Let’s build a structure of beneficial circumstances for the many and create impact for the better. We are building a community centered around applied art. Together, we create MAK DAO.
That said, here’s the long story.
The MAK DAO #whitepaper has been complete for a while. Yet, I was not ready to present it to you wondering about how to start. I felt it was good to go and the structure solid to build on and discuss, but I wanted to share a deeper understanding of this structure with you. This project is so much more than just a DAO for applied art. This project is what crypto should be used for in the first place.
Unlike many current projects, it's built solely on engagement. Amid a burgeoning bull market and a rising #NFT market for meme coins, it may seem irrational to initiate a token-based governance system that emphasizes participation and involvement over monetary investment.
However, I believe the two approaches are not mutually exclusive. I'm keen to see this concept of a circular economic solution flourish. The reason is straightforward: applying existing economic rules inevitably recreates the same winners and losers. #Cryptocurrency has strayed significantly from Satoshi's original white paper. It seems to have lost sight of its original aim: to provide everyone with access to new wealth sources and income, upsetting the existing oligarchy based on monetary wealth.
This is why Hive first drew my attention. The #Hive blockchain is a remarkable tool: it is rooted in community values, not primarily monetary gain. When I entered the blockchain world, I learned that whatever you do, value is intrinsic to its core. Considering the multitude of chains and their representation on major crypto marketplaces, it all seems to revolve around market cap, daily-weekly-yearly rates, and mass #adoption. The more popular the coin, the higher its value.
However, I see a fundamental characteristic missing in most of these coins and #tokens: where is the value proposition? We discuss yields, but on what basis? Is it merely speculation that more people will buy into a promise? Cryptocurrency can offer so much more than just a high-stakes investment opportunity.
Hive hosts highly valuable projects on its blockchain, creating a chain whose worth is intrinsic to its community and the projects it hosts. This can also increase its value in the cryptocurrency marketplaces over time. However, this should not be our main objective.
The first rule of MAK DAO is:
You cannot buy a MAK DAO Token (MDT) firsthand; you can only earn it through contribution.
So, what's new?
For developers and true Hive aficionados, this idea may not come as a big surprise. The Hive blockchain operates similarly, rewarding engagement as utilitarian value for the community.
For those who encounter the MAK DAO idea for the first time, let me quickly sum up what happened in the run-up.
The #Museum of Applied Arts, known by the acronym MAK (which stands for the German term Museum der Angewandten Kunst), in Vienna initiated an experiment on how a museum can benefit from a digitized community organized as a #DAO.
During the one-year examination of feasible structures for the DAO, the Museum recognized its central position. Its purpose and activities are rooted in a framework of centralized ownership and specific program expectations. A DAO composed of digitized audiences, #creators, #artists, and visitors should not disrupt this positioning.
However, the MAK DAO can coexist symbiotically with the Museum as a digital extension. It doesn't need a fixed location or website. Instead, it's like a swarm of interested parties who learn from and contribute to the Museum's programs and positions.
The MAK DAO White Paper outlines the concept of MAK DAO, its association with the Museum and the engagement model.
The next steps
To me, the White Paper serves as a starting point and as a work to create general understanding. Several #governance components have been established in the additional Model Design Document, shaping the structure of engagement from simple engagement points to the MAK DAO #Token.
Indeed, this entire DAO is centered around Art, specifically #appliedart, as we see it emerging in #web3. Even meme coins can be regarded as a form of applied art. MAK DAO needs to convene and initiate discussions. We need to discuss the Governance Model, but, as I initially stated (and hope you agree), we also need to discuss the content.
Where should we start? I have an idea, but I'd love to hear yours. What forms of art production or challenges should we create to encourage artists to join the DAO and participate?
This is up for discussion.
I invite you: Let's meet and start talking. Writing this paper has been a solitary task. I'm now sharing it with you and waiting for your feedback. Let's start!
(c) All pictures by me. All graphic elements by MAKDAO