If Web3 platforms want to fully replace existing social apps, they’ll need to power discovery - helping users find content (and therefore creators). But this implies the existence of a centralized authority that designs the mechanism by which discovery occurs. Does this conflict with the decentralized culture of Web3?

Finally, I touch on a few other conceptual opportunities (DeFi, the economic self, and the power of pseudonymous identities), identify some cautions and concerns about the intersection of web3 and the social sector, and conclude with a list of ventures, solutions, and other things that maybe should be built in the future.

The rise of Web 2.0 was heralded as an advancement by not just allowing people to read and write content and do transactions but to connect with each other in new ways. That gave rise, eventually, to Facebook and other social networks, along with a raft of “sharing economy” companies that peddled a fantasy of building community at the heart of... See more