Creative ownership is the rights and privileges held by the creator of a work of art, literature, music or other creative endeavours. these rights include exclusive distribution, display, monetisation and recreation of individual works as well as the ability to control how the work is used and by whom.

Web3 is known as the decentralised web and unlike the current internet which is centralised and censored, it is built on the blockchain technology and allows for peer-to-peer interactions, decentralised applications (DApps) and services. this stipulates that users have more control over their contents and creativity, how it is used and the revenue it generates.

Decentralised social media platforms are built on blockchain technology. These social platforms are not controlled by a centralised authority and this is achieved by the use of smart contracts and decentralised storage solutions, which enable the creation of digital ownership and provenance of the creative works. This can be seen in the rise social platforms leveraging on lens protocol, (described by the director of developer relations at aave, as the infrastructure needed for developers to rapidly build social features into their applications) . Additionally, the use of blockchain technology also provides an immutable record of the creative works, ensuring that the ownership and authenticity of the works can be easily verified. this is effectively made possible with NFTs which ultimately empowers artists.

At the heart of web3 social is composability. The integration and interoperability of different social platforms by allowing the use of common protocols like lens, built on smart contracts, to enable different platforms to communicate and share data. Several applications like lenster (a decentralised social media), lenstube (decentralised video library), lenstok (decentralised short form video), orb (web3 social media), etc. plug into this already existing social graph to craft innovative social experiences. This allows creators to share their content across multiple platforms, and in turn, reach a wider audience and monetise their content in various ways. For example, a creator can post their content on lenster, and then have that content available at orb, without having to leave their original platform. Additionally, the use of smart contracts also enables the creators to have more control over their content, such as declaring ownership rights, and getting paid for the content directly.

Fact check, did you know that youtube as a content streaming service takes 50% or thereabout of the total revenue? and do you know that with monetisation built-in, web3 social addresses the fair revenue market for creatives? Decentralised social platforms allow for direct exchange of value between creators and viewers by enabling the use of cryptocurrency and token-based monetisation models. For example, creators can charge for access to premium content, or receive tips in crypto. Additionally, these platforms provide marketplaces where creators can sell their digital products and services directly to consumers.

By virtue of being censorship resistant, truly verifiable content ownership, focus on data privacy and unparalleled user experience, web3 social platforms are not restricted by use-cases for example xmtp, an open-source protocol that allows for the creation of secure and private messaging and communication applications, using end-to-end encryption and advanced access control mechanisms to ensure data security and privacy, allowing for easy interoperability and integration with other web3 products. can be leveraged by web3 social applications to build on and ensure data security and privacy for their users.

How to get started with using decentralised social platforms.

There are several applications that are already gaining significant push and most being powered by lens protocol and livepeer. head over to claim.lens.xyz to get a web3 social handle for yourself.

1. orb - web3 first social media platform

2. lenster - social networking app based on lens

3. lenstube - video sharing and streaming platform

4. gm - social platform for communities

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