Seeking the Transformative Promise of World Wide Web3

Crypto is a lot right now. The hypemospheric worlds that web3 and its antecedent eponym have come to represent overflow with hot takes and volatile stakes. At its genuine best, the sector’s status quo and no so distant past have felt like Professor Perez’s irruption and frenzy phases, the conflation of indelible enthusiasm for new technology that’s, at certain periods, essential to transforming it from potential to permanent. At its perplexing worst, its all felt like a surging cart that’s somehow managed to lap its horse while also jumping a shark. While the zeitgeist boils to a froth, ping ponging between unbridled sure thing conviction and flame-throwing told ya so cynicism, the loudest voices yet to pipe up at scale are those of satisfied users, enterprise and consumer. First-hand user testimonials confirming the new, unique value of the decentralized promise - this was better/cheaper/faster, so I’m going to keep using it - feel less frequent and less amplified than other mainstay crypto perspectives. Absent from the ultra-enthusiastic crypto hype machine cacophony are the voices of everyday users mesmerized by the magic of a novel technology in their real worlds — who ask of crypto not why? but how?!

I few months ago, I tried to take a few steps back, to reexamine the core underlying principles of blockchain technology and seek out where, how, or if their transformative potential has begun to show early signs of proving out in the real world. And if they are - hopefully to then develop a few frameworks and theses helpful in identifying, understanding, and evaluating them in the sectors and ecosystems spearheading that value capture. That process resulted in the research deck below, feel free to check it out, I’d love to hear anyone’s thoughts!