The Place We’re Looking For by Rionna Morgan

This article first appeared in Vagobond Magazine Issue 7 which can be purchased as a readable NFT on Opensea

It seems like everywhere we turn these days in Web3 there is a new, great “thing” popping up. It’s true. It really is. It’s all so exciting and very inspiring. All of us are adding to our vocabularies with expressions like – blockchain, NFT, decentralization, PFP, and Ethereum merge.

But what does Web3 mean? What is Web3?

On the continuum of being part of the Web3 Space: new here – been here a while – here since the beginning, I have been here a while. I received my first NFT as a gift last winter; it is part of the TIMEPieces collection. I immediately joined their community. From there I was introduced to The Lobstars and Cool Cats. I found the quiet, kind Wizards & Witches group one rainy spring afternoon, along with Loner Girl. I’m a member of other communities too, Web3 writing/publishing communities like PageDAO, and Web3 educational communities like Aloha Frens.

As I interact in the communities of which I am a part, I find myself being amazed. The conversations generally begin with GM / GN (good morning or good night) and all the varying mentions of who lives in which general location, in which time zone, and what the weather is like. On the surface this seems to just be a nice chat, but what I find amazing is that we all are in a conversation that would not be taking place without this new universe of Web3.

Without these communities, I would not be talking with someone from across the globe. I would not be making the realization that we have so much more in common than we could ever imagine. I would not be making a friend who speaks a different language and makes her living as an artist.

To be involved in one of these communities, you and I don’t have to have our whole world put together just right, like when we meet someone new in real life. We don’t have to have the right outfit or order the right meal or know the right people. We can simply type in, “Hi. I’m new here.” And someone – many times, many someones – will be there to say, “Welcome!” And somehow those someones have been waiting to meet us too. They have ideas to share and stories to tell also.

So, I go back to my questions: But what does Web3 mean? What is Web3?

In answer, Web3 is community. Web3 is connection. It does not seem to be weighed down by the difficulties that may plague connection IRL (in real life), things many of us work through on a daily basis – things like being introverted, having the fear of being rejected, or lacking time.

Web3 is a universe of new possibilities, relationships, and collaborations. Web3 makes the world smaller; it makes us more connected. We all have the human emotion of wanting to belong. We all want a place where people smile when they see us, a place we feel at home, a place we feel welcomed, a place we are connected to. Being part of Web3 and the communities populating its cosmos does not change that natural human yearning. In fact, it may provide the place we’re looking for.

TIMEPieces

TIMEPieces is a Web3 community initiative from TIME.¹

https://twitter.com/TIMEPieces

The Lobstars

The Lobstars, 7’777 unique Lobster Portaits by international British contemporary artist Philip Colbert.²

https://twitter.com/thelobstars

Cool Cats

Cool Cats are derived from Blue Cat, the primary character created by Colin “thecatoonist” over 10 years ago.³

https://twitter.com/coolcatsnft

Wizards &Witches

8,888 generative collection of Wizards & Witches conjured up on the Ethereum blockchain.⁴

https://twitter.com/wizards_witches