We have accelerated faster to a digital transformation than anyone could have guessed. In 20 years we have gone from wired car phones to unbound devices that are wirelessly connecting people trans-continentally. The internet has truly bred into something even ambitious imaginaries couldn’t have dreamed of. The rippling effects of a globally connected is merely beginning. A pseudonymous economy is a workforce that is chosen on proof of work, powered by the proof of work currency, bitcoin.
At an abstract, social media has become the vector of rating peers. In a sense, social media platforms have become a reputation verifier which has spurred the era “influencers”. On Instagram, you build a reputation by the photos and pictures you post, it’s the visual reputation platform. On Twitter, your thoughts or ideas are liked/retweeted, a platform built on words.
Although we get hooked on the negative externalities social media is having on peoples’ personal lives, there is a divergence in content and personal character. To clarify, avatars are being born in the cyberworld that help people escape who they are in the world of atoms. The avatar removes any stereotypes that may be linked to our appearance or character. This is a material shift from the ethos/pathos to logos. A single person can spawn multiple identities online. They can be however foolish, childish, or controversial.
The internet is a catalog, we can upload and download content at our hearts desire. Twitter and Instagram were media platforms envisioned for social uses. Both have fostered different communities that are focused on learning and expanding knowledge that stems past reposting memes. FinTwitter and CrytpoTwitter are two major atypical twitter communities. FinTwitter conversations can range from stock charts, to venture capital theories, to personal finance advice. You can find advice and live thoughts from some of the greatest investor in the world. CryptoTwitter has a deep rooted culture in memes. Some of the most respected figures on CryptoTwitter have avatars of… ducks or random memes. They often meme but do it decisively to make a point. They are having fun while also bringing new perspective. They are building an online personality based on words, not who they are. No institutional blue checks, only words to build a following.
The pseudonymity of CryptoTwitter stems from Bitcoin. Satoshi Nakamoto, the founder of Bitcoin, is a pseudonymous founder. In the invention of a new money, he did not want his credentials or visions to cloud the direction of Bitcoin. Following suit, crypto twitter personalities have embraced the beginning of a pseudonymous internet.
Samczsun epitomizes a pseudonymous worker. An anime character is used as his professional profile. He/she recently joined Paradigm, a prominent crypto-focused firm that has raised money from the likes of top venture investors in Silicon Valley.
Paradigm has raised over $750m. It is led by Fred Ersham, Co-Founder of Coinbase, and former Managing Partner at Sequoia Capital, Matt Huang. Paradigm is littered with Ivy-League talent, take a look for yourself.
Colleges have been the gatekeepers to knowledge. Once a person has received the so called “Ivy-League Stamp” they become a part of this upper echelon of society. This barrier is beginning to be cracked by characters like Samczsun that are based on proof of work. Maybe Samczsun went to an Ivy-League school, no one will know and neither do would they care. Building portfolios on the internet to display work is easier than ever. Publishing public repositories on Github, blogging on Substack, posting artwork on Instagram are all mediums to prove yourself. The Ivy-League badge is being challeneged by communication platforms that were meant for posting pictures with friends on friday nights.
Building a repertoire online hidden behind an avatar is cool, but how are we supposed to transact without giving up personal information? Enter bitcoin. A pseudonymous money powering a pseudonymous economy. Payments should be seamless for gig economy workers and corporations. Fiat transactions require bank accounts that store personal information which makes everyone subject to big brother surveillance. The privacy that bitcoin brings to the digital world, is synonymous to the privacy cash brings to physical transactions which empowers pseudonymous workers like Samczsun.
Dhruv's Bubble 