What does it really take to make Web3 mainstream?

It seems everyone is planning to bring the next billion people to Web3. Nike, Time Magazine, Budweiser, Nickelodeon and a host of other influential brands (nft now included!) have all promised to bring the masses. But what will it actually take to bring blockchain technology from niche to mainstream?

Looking at the progress so far, it seems that very few have any serious idea of ​​how to make the metaverse a reality.

So to try to find out what could break down the barrier between Web2 and Web3 once and for all, we turned to experts and holders of Now Pass – the access card to the Now network, the foundation of all our initiatives to build the future of tokenized media and pioneering a community-centric media model – for input.

Here’s what the citizens of the blockchain had to say.

Better education

The need for education was repeated by many. According to several members of the Now Pass community we spoke with, education remains the most important consideration in bringing NFTs to the masses. In particular, this means going beyond airdropping interested enthusiasts a link to an NFT 101 guide. Rather, informing consumers about the potential of Web3 must be a more active process.

As Now Pass holder and brand marketer Liam Darmody put it, the Average Joe still considers NFTs to be little more than Internet JPEGs. “It sounds cliché, but [Web3 needs to focus on] education, utility and practical application. The average person in the ‘masses’ hears Web3 and thinks cartoon jpegs,” Darmody wrote in an nft now Discord chat.

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“It’s easy to understand why, but the fact is that there is so much more to NFTs and Web3 technology than that. The easier we make it for normies to understand that these technologies are just an evolution of other things we do in day, the sooner [mainstream adoption] will happen,” he added.

Now Passport holder Booze offered more insight on this topic, saying that education, along with popularization, will bring Web3 closer to bridging the gap to mainstream consumers. “Web3 technology needs better education and popularization to help more people understand its benefits and possibilities. This can be done by organizing online courses, holding lectures and seminars, publishing articles and books, etc.,” they wrote.

Now Pass holders are not alone in thinking. The team behind the NFT marketplace Kreatorhood also say that education is the first and most important step.

A change of perspective

Along with improving education, some said a shift in perspective—or perhaps even a total rebrand of NFTs—could help those outside Web3 gain interest in the blockchain.

For some, like Sprite, this means bringing better social media marketing strategies to Web3 to “communicate the concepts and applications of blockchain technologies to a wider audience.” But for others, it means getting consumers excited about what blockchain actually is and does, and offering context unclouded by the negative connotations that NFTs can have.

“Too many people hear ‘NFT’ or ‘Web3’ and think ‘scam’ or ‘Ponzi scheme’ when they should be thinking ‘access pass’ and ‘community-centric build toolkit.’ CDNow Pass holder and the founder of the Web3 authoring community Vagabond Magazine, so. Adds that “we need to start using ‘NFT’ as a technical specification, not a categorical description. We need to spend more time focusing on the ethical building blocks of Web3 rather than the focus too often being on the money.”

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Adding to this point, Now Pass holder The Big Gooey suggested that openness could potentially help users gain a better preliminary understanding of Web3. He went on to note that perhaps it was the reluctance of Web2 companies to openly discuss their URL or back-end structures that may have trained customers not to care about what’s going on behind the curtain in the first place.

Writing in the nft now Discord, he said, “I worry sometimes, we’re too worried about getting people into crypto before we get them into the concept or idea we’re going for.”

Still, there are those still on the other side of this argument who believe that getting users in the door should really be a primary concern of the Web3 community. For them, exposing consumers to the “access passes” and “suites of community-centric building tools” that CD referred to may be the fastest way to bridge the gap between web2 and Web3.

The need for practical integration

Over the past few years, “integration” has at times become known to be a buzzword along the lines of “community” and “benefit”. Nevertheless, similar to how the latter two concepts have come to carry weight in Web3, so too has the idea that integration and practical application can have significant meaning for the masses on board.

“The Web3 community needs to launch more innovative and practical applications to let people feel the actual value of Web3 technology. These applications will solve real-world problems such as digital identity, secure payments, decentralized social media and more.” Sprite wrote in nft now Discord.

Even beyond education and improving public sentiment, integration remains a focus for the many developers who aim to lower the barrier to entry into Web3. For these such custodians of blockchain technology, and to the point Darmody has previously made, simply getting users in the door is not enough. The NFT community needs to do more to communicate the effectiveness of Web3 to even those who are skeptical.

“[The Web3 community] must focus on targeting large corporations and local governments to accept crypto payments for goods and services,” Now Pass holder Crypto La Révolution so. “No one is going to adopt something that is not usable in their daily life. A big gain would be if Amazon or Alibaba accepted crypto payments.”

Of course, such an expansion would mean a big gain for Web3. And while the proliferation of Soulbound Tokens and other innovative tokenized endeavors may yield similar results in the campaign to become mainstream, the barrier to entry for many Web3 technologies must be considered for the “practical” part of practical application to become a reality.

“Current Web3 applications and wallets often require users to have technical knowledge and understanding of blockchain concepts to use, which is a big barrier for most people. Therefore, the Web3 community should focus on improving the user interface and interaction design to make it more intuitive and understandable,” Sprite wrote.

Nevertheless, a consistent line can be drawn among the many ideas about how we can break the barrier between Web2 and Web3. And it’s this: Web3 leaders need to focus on decentralization and really let the community lead.

Although this focus on decentralization may seem like a given in Web3, it is unfortunately lacking in many projects and platforms. That is why Xooa Now Pass holder and CryptoSkull’s Community Lead, thought the point was worth repeating.

“Regarding what we should focus on: I think we should create a platform that gives other NFT communities a voice through community building. Especially through projects and DAOs that empower talented artists and builders to create and network with like-minded people,” said Xoao in the nft now Discord.

And added that this is ultimately the most critical component of Web3. “The history and origins of the blockchain is a very important part of NFTs. The cultural significance of the innovation of NFTs is part of our heritage and I believe it should not be forgotten when it comes to Web3 education and the benefits, potential and the opportunities it provides society, he said.

Editor’s note: Want to share your thoughts and insights with nft now readers? We are working to build a more community-centric media model. Head over to the Now Pass website to learn more.