In the Web3 space, one enduring principle seems to stand out — “Community is King”. In fact, community has grown to become the very life force of the entire Web3 industry. It’s a tightly knit network of people from all over the world working together to create a better Internet — one that is decentralized and gives users control over their data and content.
But the Web3 community is about much more than building the technology: it’s about supporting and enriching the lives of people all around the world. The culture that has been created in this space is one where community members are open to collaboration, and where personal backgrounds do not stand in the way of people coming together — be it giving advice, sharing resources or simply having a friendly conversation. This sense of community sparked off the incredible growth that Web3 has been able to achieve in the past few years.
Last week, a bunch of web3 lovers — Apes, if you will — gathered around to dive deeper into some of the reasons why the Web3 community is awesome. We launched our first episode of Z3.FM — A Twitter podcast that brings light to the different social implications of Web3.
NFTs, electronic music, and anime were just some of the diverse subcultures we explored when uncovering the different subcultures and trends that have risen to popularity in the Web3 space. The podcast featured a variety of speakers from Web3 protocols such as College DAO, TalentTale, Magipop and PuzlFund.
Read on for a quick recap of main takeaways from our podcast 😀
What are some popular subcultures in Web3?
Whether you first heard about the Web3 craze through news, or heard about people spending millions on pictures of apes, it is undeniable that the blockchain space has experienced a meteoric rise to public attention in the past two years.
As more individuals find their way into this nascent space, innovation is also accelerating as communities form and develop solutions together. This innovation often blends together multiple existing subcultures to produce novel subcultures and new markets to explore. Here is a short list of of some of our favorite subcultures in the Web3:
The most prominent example in popular media would be the subculture of irresponsible investing with terms like “Apes” and “Degens” thrown about as retail investors pile their savings into investment opportunities while disregarding any sense of risk management. Some jokes and memes that have come out of this subculture have also surrounded a humorous blind faith in an investment opportunity, with hashtags like #wagmi (We’re All Going to Make It — WAGMI) propagating around Twitter communities.
An open culture of collaboration also means that projects are always looking for new and creative ways to collaborate with each other, reducing wasteful competition over resources, and even attention. This creates an environment that is conducive towards co-innovation, further encouraging more people to step into the Web3 space.
One unique aspect of Web3 subcultures is the level to which communities have made memes and internet humor a core part of their communications. Creative individuals in each subculture find ways to integrate recent news in the Web3 space into taglines, GIFs and other forms of online content. This largely stems from the free and no-filter attitude of the Web3 space, where even work is very much inextricably intertwined with entertainment.
Web3 conferences have also fostered an atmosphere that encourages people to push themselves out of their comfort zones and expand into industries they would not normally have the chance to explore. This is all the more prevalent at the intersection of art and blockchain technology. Taking a look at all the various creative projects at blockchain conferences (from football booths to music concerts and art galleries) it almost seems wrong to call the event a “conference”. It seems to be more like an epicenter of creatives showcase their art in ways that make the most sense to them.
Finally, the Web3 industry has a “default Yes” attitude that bravely challenges all existing notions of what is possible. We find that people in this space are extremely receptive to ideas and are slower to shut people out. This sets people free and allows them to boldly experiment with different applications of blockchain technologies. Additionally, It also helps ease the transition for newcomers into this space, as they can turn to and rely on other community members for support and guidance.
Why did we launch Z3.FM?
Much like how the social media giants of today have largely shaped many of our subcultures and social norms, Web3 is already starting to experience a similar effect. This time, however, we are better positioned to reinvent our approaches by drawing upon the lessons we have learnt from the problems in Web 2. The failures of the previous era of the Internet will shape and guide the innovation for the next iteration of the online world.
And it is important that we embrace these conversations because it helps the community to understand that they have direct impact on how blockchain technology used — it’s not just about creating new applications or improving existing ones. It’s about how we as humans interact with each other through our technology, and even understand our own societies on a deeper level. Being conscious of the interplay between technology and social relationships, and building around the insights we gain helps create applications that complement our social behaviors and attitudes.
Who can get involved with Z3.FM?
No matter what your background in Web3 is, Z3.FM is a place for everyone to share their own philosophies, stories, and experiences with Web3. If you are interested in joining the discussion for future episodes, let us know by reaching out to our host Twitter accounts: