My simple prediction: in the next 30 years, we will see NFT and nonfungible tokens increase in use and popularity. Also, the trend for digital possessions, and digital ownership, rather than physical ownership.
Do you have an original Eric Kim?
I like one day in the future, someone will be able to flex that they have an original Eric Kim digital photo. One of one.
Why digitally own the original?
A funny question: if you own a cool car, and and drive a cool car, but there is nobody to witness you driving your cool car, is it still a cool car?
For example, let us say that I have a Lamborghini Aventador with a scissor doors. Are the scissor doors meaningful if nobody sees me opening and closing the scissor doors, or stepping in and out the car with the scissor doors up?
The reason why scissor doors are so cool is that your car becomes like theater: like a swan spreading her wings. There is no better way to make an entrance to a place then stepping outside of your car in scissor doors because it is unique and different. Same thing like stepping out of a car with suicide doors. You show the theater because it is different.
But perhaps if there was nobody to witness you driving the Lamborghini, nobody ever saw you with the Lamborghini, I’m sure it would lose its charm. Maybe it’s better to just on a Lamborghini in a video game for your own enjoyment, or maybe in virtual reality, then dealing with the pain of having in real life.
Where digital ownership is interesting
If you digitally own something, let’s say the original, on the block chain everyone can see and will have 100% proof that you are indeed the sole owner. and for anybody who has played MMORPGs or online video games or online massively played games is this: whether it be digital or in person, we like to show off that we have a one of one it gives us a sense of elevated power, ego, and uniqueness.
For example, in Diablo 2 if you had one of the insanely rare items, you still feel the pride, even though it is a fake and digital object. Digital things and real life things are the same.
Imagine ready player One future
Let us say that Facebook‘s oculus platform really takes off. That in the future ready player would like virtual reality universe, there is only one DeLorean car. Wouldn’t you want to be the one person in this digital universe who owns it?
What does this mean for us photographers?
I do like the idea that helps you can either sell or trade or barter your digital photos, one of one.