From PFPs to VIDs

Once loaded, it uses your webcam to track your body, eye, and mouth movements, then mirrors those with your Anata. So whatever you say, it looks like your Anata is saying it instead. In case that's ever not enough, there are exaggerated expressions you can use too, like fiery eyes or frustration. And if you want a little extra flex, you can also pu... See more

The way the tech works is exceptionally cool. If you own an Anata, you can verify it in your wallet with their browser plugin. Then whenever you open a video conferencing tool like Google Meet, you can choose to have your Anata take over your video stream instead of your webcam. The Anata is stored on Arweave and streams from there, so you don't ne... See more

Projects like Anata are an interesting next step in that direction. I think as we level up our expectations for NFTs, projects that are trying to give their owners a sense of identity will need to move in the Anata direction to compete. A landing page, roadmap, and profile pictures won’t cut it anymore. I’m excited to see how far these VIDs go.&nbs... See more

There is something freeing about removing your face from your online persona. It paradoxically makes you feel like you can be more authentic. This is a stretch of an analogy but just as psychedelics that facilitate ego death allow for a truer glimpse at your underlying psychology, untying your digital persona from your smiling LinkedIn photo allows... See more

But the most interesting expansion of the PFP mania is taking the logical next step beyond a simple profile picture. Using an NFT as a proof of identity, and being able to use that identity in more interesting ways than just your social media avatar. 

Most of the good projects seem to recognize this. They're continuing to launch additional value for their current and future holders, because they know a JPEG and a Discord are not enough. This additional value often comes in the form of extra JPEGs, swag, community events, or even games.

That doesn't mean NFTs are a scam or a fad. Far from it. Only that many projects last year were cash grabs, and we should now expect more from our non-fungible tokens.

But most of the Profile Picture (PFP) projects that launched last year will go nowhere. You have your hexagon on Twitter, sure, but that's all you're gonna get. Maybe you'll be able to resell it for a profit later, but I suspect most that aren't continuing to add utility or build their community are going to zero.

Some of the projects that launched last year are certain to grow into legitimate behemoths. Bored Ape Yacht Club has shown how serious they are about building a massive potentially billion-dollar ecosystem around their IP.