These days, Web3 social media is the Renaissance of the Internet. But only if you are in the Medici Garden and get one of them to be your arts patron.

Right now, web3 social media is mainly about influencer farming.

This approach of farming influencers' attention, help, and tokens is the only way to make a sustainable income as a creator on Web3 version 2.

Web3 social version 1 was run by people who understand human nature and culture a lot better than they know computer science and "Number Go Up" growth hacking. They understand human needs and that humans are hard-wired for stories. They understand why culture can topple strategy, policy, and dictatorships.

The people understand why cultural movements can lead to human evolution, which brings progress, enlightenment, and shared prosperity.

The creators of Web3 Social v1 get that revolutions, armed by finance or bullets, lead to chaos paid for by those at the front lines and the bottom of society, and the repeat of the cycle of the liberating hero becomes the new tyrant. The system stays the same under new management.

Web3 social v1 understood the need for belonging, the need to reward the creation of beauty, awe, and magic, and the need to solve real problems with consumer products and services that the mainstream wanted.

That was before Devs and DeGens were put in charge of approving grants and selecting what builders and creators get protocol financial, tech, and social support.

The Devs are easy to impress with a nice tech spec sheet and lofty promises. They are very early adopters (not at all mainstream consumers), so they go for cool tech. This type of person is more focused on what humans can do with tech than how tech can serve human needs and market solutions.

The DeGens, the Casio managers, are focused on Number Go Up, TVL, exit liquidity, and what tools will help pump the following cycle: ICOs, DeFi, NFT, and Meme coins. They don't much care if the tech works so long as it allows them to shill and pump.

This approach attractsthe same whales and feeds more schools of DeGens to these whales. It helps projects raise the next VC round, impress their LPs, or farm the following protocol for more grants.

As a result, they only support other DeGens or cool tech bros who they think will help them attract all the Web3 users from the previous popular kid in the high school cafeteria to their lunch table.

Both the Devs and the DeGens are short-term thinkers, each in different ways and with various motives. Yet, both focus on vibes and bias in choosing who gets to build what.

When Devs and DeGens love each other very much and are in charge of grants and partnerships at the protocol and foundation levels. The Web3 stork delivers Web3 Social 2.0: Influencer farming.

Web3 social V.2: The rise of the Medicci On Chain.