3 Reasons to Be Excited About Community-Building in a Web3 World

Web 3.0 is still in its infancy, but it is a fantastic time to be alive and see the Internet transform from the social-media-driven, Big Tech-dictated Web 2.0 world into a more decentralized and creator-friendly one.

Every content creator, community manager, and marketer is excited to see what lies ahead. With the digital world order changing, we must prepare ourselves and adapt to the new Web3 ways in our current Web2 world. 

Here are a few reasons to be excited about community building in the Web 3.0 world. 

A creator-first mindset 

The times, they’re a changin’.

Creators have been the silent, struggling types, trying to convince themselves and their loved ones that they can indeed make a living off their art: whatever kind it may be. While social media has massively boosted the creator economy, in the Web 2.0 world, we are still at the behest of changing policies and algorithms. And while “creators be creating,” the Big Tech platforms are earning huge revenues in the form of ads. 

But, all of this will change with Web3. Creators will own the platform and monetize their work in the form of NFTs. Creativity will no longer be synonymous with the struggle to survive. This blockchain-powered world will also ensure transparency and privacy, meaning you can “lock” your content while making it public. Thanks to smart contracts within the blockchain, ownership is clear from the start so that no one can copy anyone else’s content.

Adopting a creator-first mindset will help us seamlessly transition into this new world. It will also help create more democratic and decentralized systems – truly the Web3 way.

Ownership & decentralization 

In the Web 2.0 world, organizations are constantly thinking about how best to give their community members more control. How can community members be empowered to feel like stakeholders?

But imagine owning a piece of the community or platform you’re a part of. Imagine voting for every feature change in your favorite app. Imagine owning your content eternally. 

Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) will revolutionize how we think of community. It will no longer be “owned” by a brand. DAOs are contributor-run communities where every decision is democratic.

Voting rights will allow everyone to participate in the decision-making process, whether it is about a product feature or the very code on which the DAO is built.

Equal workspaces 

The fact that we’re still laying down the foundations for Web 3.0 gives us a fresh start. Communities in this era can be more equal, meaning more voices for those who have erstwhile been on the margin. 

Instead of trying to dismantle hard-wired organizational structures in Big Tech that may not be friendly toward, say, LGBTQ communities, or may have a skewed gender ratio, Web 3.0 allows us to build more equal spaces. We can also look forward to communities built on more niche interests, giving everyone a sense of belonging.

“The term ‘Web3’ gets nearly 200,000 Google searches per month.” 

At a time when we are struggling to create inclusive structures, communities, and products, the future seems promising. If we start preparing for a Web3 culture today and shift our mindsets from inclusivity to equality, from brand to creator and community, we will find ourselves creating history and not merely witnessing it.

Pawan Rochwani leads community, events, and partnerships at Pepper. When he isn’t busy planning events, he’s often found engaging with creators and playing (or talking about) cricket.

Natasha Puri is the content marketing lead at Pepper. She has been spotted living the ‘content’ life (pun intended) in Dehradun with her 4-year-old lab and the newest addition to the family, her son Jug.