AmirMabhout
Every day, we make countless purchasing decisions—from grabbing a chocolate bar at the supermarket to investing in the latest tech gadget or updating our wardrobes. Yet, how often do we pause to consider the ripple effect each of these purchases has on the world?
Behind every product lies a complex web of people and processes. From the miners extracting raw materials and farmers growing crops to the workers assembling products and the retailers selling them, numerous individuals contribute to bringing each item into our hands. But where does the money we spend actually go? How much reaches the hands of those who labored to create the product, and who benefits the most from the profits? More importantly, how are those profits used, and do they align with our personal values?
Money, in many ways, is energy—it drives change and shapes the world. When we purchase a product, we're not just acquiring an item; we're funding the future. Profits often funnel into the pockets of major shareholders and executives who may invest in ventures or causes that conflict with our own ideals. For instance, if you prefer not to support industries that contribute to violence or environmental degradation, how can you ensure that your money isn't indirectly fueling those activities when you buy something as simple as a chocolate bar?
Imagine a world where, before making a purchase, you could scan a product with your phone and instantly see a breakdown of its costs. You'd know the expenses of raw materials, labor, and the exact profit margins. More so, you'd see how those profits are distributed among shareholders and how they've historically reinvested their earnings. This transparency would empower you to make choices that align with your values, supporting companies whose visions for the world mirror your own.
So, how can we gather and present all this intricate data in a way that's accessible and actionable? This is where knowledge graphs and DataDAOs come into play.
Knowledge graphs are powerful data models that organize and represent complex relationships between data points in a structured, interconnected way. They allow us to map out the relationships between companies, their products, ownership structures, and financial flows. Much of this information is publicly available, but it's scattered and difficult to piece together. By converting this data into knowledge graphs, we can create a comprehensive and navigable web of information.
However, building and maintaining such extensive knowledge graphs requires collaboration, data gathering, verification, and continuous updating. Enter OriginTrail's innovative approach called Initial Paranet Offering (IPO).
Introducing OriginTrail's Paranet DataDAOs
OriginTrail has developed a decentralized platform that empowers communities to create and manage knowledge graphs through DataDAOs—collaborative organizations where members contribute data and govern its usage. With the launch of V8, OriginTrail makes it easier than ever to create "paranets," which are autonomously operated collections of knowledge assets owned by their communities and residing on the DKG.
Paranets are specialized knowledge graphs focused on specific topics or domains. They enable contributors to input data in various formats, which is then processed through an advanced knowledge extraction pipeline. This pipeline converts the data into standardized, interconnected knowledge triplets using JSON-LD—a format that represents relationships like "Company A owns Brand B" or "Person X holds 20% shares in Company A."
By structuring data this way, we can trace the flow of money from a purchase down to how profits are distributed among stakeholders and how those profits are reinvested. For example, if you buy a $1 chocolate bar with a 20-cent profit margin, and you know that Person X owns 20% of the company, you can estimate that 4 cents go to Person X. By analyzing public records of Person X's investments and donations, you can understand how your purchase indirectly influences various causes and industries.
To kickstart the creation of these paranets, OriginTrail has introduced Initial Paranet Offerings (IPOs). An IPO is a public launch of a paranet, where an operator proposes the initial set of knowledge assets and an incentivization structure. This proposal is then voted upon by the community through the NeuroWeb governance mechanism.
The incentivization model is designed to reward all participants fairly:
Paranet Operators: They receive a portion of the allocated NEURO tokens for proposing and managing the paranet, ensuring the economic viability of their efforts.
Knowledge Miners: Contributors who add valuable data to the knowledge base are rewarded with NEURO tokens, incentivizing the continuous growth and accuracy of the paranet.
NEURO Token Holders: Community members who support the IPO by staking their tokens and participating in governance receive rewards, promoting active involvement in the network's growth.
This structure ensures that everyone who contributes to the creation and maintenance of the knowledge graph benefits, fostering a collaborative environment where data is democratized and the benefits are shared.
With these advancements, consumers gain unprecedented insight into the products they buy. By simply scanning a product, you could access detailed information about its cost structure, the distribution of profits, and the social and environmental impact of supporting that brand. This empowers you to make conscious choices, opting for products that promote sustainability, ethical labor practices, or other values you hold dear.
Moreover, DataDAOs democratize access to data that was previously siloed or difficult to interpret without specialized expertise. They enable collective participation in data curation and interpretation, breaking down barriers and fostering a more informed society. By leveraging the power of knowledge graphs and AI, we can make data-driven decisions that align with our personal values and contribute to shaping a better world.
If this vision resonates with you, consider exploring the opportunities that knowledge graphs and DataDAOs present. OriginTrail's Paranet and the V8 DKG offer platforms to contribute to and benefit from this growing ecosystem. Whether you're passionate about ethical consumption, data transparency, or community-driven initiatives, there's a place for you to make an impact.
My name is amir, and I co-founded datalatte to build a future where individuals own their own knowledge graphs to own their personalized experiences and opportunities in the digital space, and I see countless opportunities where knowledge graphs can benefit humanity in different ways, so I invite you to get involved. If you wish to brain storm with me, hit me up via my Twitter and if you like to get down in building, visit OriginTrail's website, join your favorite social space to start the conversation about launching your own Paranet
