Global Casualization, Experimentation Maximalism, and Web3

Every time I see a modern, production-heavy news clip it reminds me of overly-dramatic acting in early film. The wild gestures from a distant theatrical stage had not yet become subtle as a result of the TV being closer than seat 23A. Realism, which is a relatively modern phenomenon, has not yet made its mark on the news industry.

At the same time, the world is beginning to consume long-form podcasts at an astounding rate.

This tweet blew up a bit ago, and for good reason.

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For my generation, raised on youtube personalities and comment-section MMA, “casualness” is not just a lazy preference. It is a space where we meet without masks. It sets the stage for conversations not driven by expectations of rank, and therefore opens the door to feedback and creative dialog (and yes, internet trolls too).

Casualness as a Petri Dish for New Ideas

Internet forums have played an under-appreciated role in innovation.

As users of Reddit, CT, etc, we joke, we smile, we push the Overton window in growing circles; we compete with the most outrageous ideas. We give harsh feedback, debate, and criticize each other’s arguments as if the world depended upon it.

And we do it 24/7.

And some of these ideas turn out to be catalysts for change.

Web3 at the Intersection of Casualness and Finance

Social circles develop based on mutual interest. Reddit allowed this to happen on a massive scale.

But what happens when these communities develop around shared financial interest?

The effect is even stronger.

The casual web is turning into one giant financial sandbox, with random ideas being tested at rapid-fire velocity.

DeFi, digital currency, DAOs, NFTs, novel complex financial primitives...

These were all created at the intersection of t-shirts and open money rails.

DAOs will always be at the leading edge of global casualization, because a “DAO” can start as just a group of friends (or anons) investing, building, or just sharing info.

As on-chain, verifiable personas accrue trust and reputation, the effect will be even greater.

This environment has allowed for the rapid validation of ideas in the blockchain space, whether they originated from a joke, a random thought, or a concerted group effort to think and build.

But What About Efficiency?

Everyone that understands the function of hierarchy has a bearish view on fully distributed DAOs as a beacon for efficiency.

But so what? We trade some long-term efficiency for new ideas that can explode in value and adoption.

Some will reach the threshold where they become part of the standard web stack, self-sufficient machines, or even hyper-efficient DAOs.

And we’re stealing the suits. The influx of talent will inspire new models, more efficient models, and borrowed structures from time-tested tradcorp models.

Experimentation Maximalism

Experimentation can lead to disruption and even full-blown chaos, but in the limited scope of technology, it’s hard to have a negative view on entrepreneurship and experimentation.

Even when it results in catastrophic failures like Terra/Luna.

While my heart goes out to those that lost big portions of their portfolios, new ideas were tested and there is no doubt that the event will push us back towards prioritizing protocol solvency and sounder money. Sometimes we need to swing too far to learn how to evaluate risk and manage it accordingly.

If nothing else, this was one of the largest lessons in sound money in history.

And it won’t stop the experimentation.