i’ll just say it. i feel like i’m swimming in the web2 matrix. it's that algorithm-fueled machine. for my generation, the gen x veterans, this feels like a factory floor. for the kids? it's just the water they swim in. they mastered the flow. they speak fluent algorithm.

i look at the viral chase. it's the classic donkey and the carrot. maple’s pet dinosaur, the repeating ai cat video. it’s the loop. success is unpredictable. it’s a sudden pimple to pop, with no idea where it swells or who squeezes it.

• web2 success is a random event.

• i cannot plan for virality.

• content is reactive, not proactive.

fishermen have better odds. they study the water. they know the fish. their success is predictable. the web2 creator is chasing a ghost. but here is the kicker: nobody seems to mind the chase. they are snuggled up to the pulse of the algorithm. it feels safe.

now, i look at web3. it’s the internet i dreamed up in the 90s. pure, direct connection. freedom. in spaces like orb, i can change my handle daily. mutability. freshness. newness. no algorithm telling me what’s hot.

but does freedom still matter to me? the kids grew up in the matrix. they know how to hack the algorithm. web2 offers a type of freedom, sure, but it’s a freedom that yields nothing. i feel like it’s better to be enslaved and seen.

• web3 offers direct connection.

• i get radical autonomy.

• it prioritizes community over scale.

i know originality, depth, and meaning still matter. they are necessary. but my life plays out on the reactive, shallow level of quick dopamine hits. it is what it is.

so, how does web3 art challenge the web2 paradigm?

web2 gives me the illusion of millions of views. that reach is often indirect and untrustworthy.

web3 gives me 10 people who tip me $10 each. they do it because they like my work. it’s a direct connection. it’s a different state of mind. it’s simple.

this is my pitch: come for the direct payment, stay for the sanity.

i am not criticizing. i am observing. i am asking myself: am i trading my freedom for a chance at a viral hit? the choice is simple: do i want to be a slave to the feed or an owner of my own space?

what steps should web3 take to make this direct connection model feel less like a niche and more like the default?

i’ll just say it. i feel like i’m swimming in the web2 matrix. it's that algorithm-fueled machine. for my generation, the gen x veterans, this feels like a factory floor. for the kids? it's just the water they swim in. they mastered the flow. they speak fluent algorithm.

i look at the viral chase. it's the classic donkey and the carrot. maple’s pet dinosaur, the repeating ai cat video. it’s the loop. success is unpredictable. it’s a sudden pimple to pop, with no idea where it swells or who squeezes it.

• web2 success is a random event.

• i cannot plan for virality.

• content is reactive, not proactive.

fishermen have better odds. they study the water. they know the fish. their success is predictable. the web2 creator is chasing a ghost. but here is the kicker: nobody seems to mind the chase. they are snuggled up to the pulse of the algorithm. it feels safe.

now, i look at web3. it’s the internet i dreamed up in the 90s. pure, direct connection. freedom. in spaces like orb, i can change my handle daily. mutability. freshness. newness. no algorithm telling me what’s hot.

but does freedom still matter to me? the kids grew up in the matrix. they know how to hack the algorithm. web2 offers a type of freedom, sure, but it’s a freedom that yields nothing. i feel like it’s better to be enslaved and seen.

• web3 offers direct connection.

• i get radical autonomy.

• it prioritizes community over scale.

i know originality, depth, and meaning still matter. they are necessary. but my life plays out on the reactive, shallow level of quick dopamine hits. it is what it is.

so, how does web3 art challenge the web2 paradigm?

web2 gives me the illusion of millions of views. that reach is often indirect and untrustworthy.

web3 gives me 10 people who tip me $10 each. they do it because they like my work. it’s a direct connection. it’s a different state of mind. it’s simple.

this is my pitch: come for the direct payment, stay for the sanity.

i am not criticizing. i am observing. i am asking myself: am i trading my freedom for a chance at a viral hit? the choice is simple: do i want to be a slave to the feed or an owner of my own space?

what steps should web3 take to make this direct connection model feel less like a niche and more like the default?