Two new NFT mobile apps at different stages of development, AirWire and S!NG, are worth considering for more than their innovative approaches. Each app is designed to bring NFT creation to mainstream users via an integrated process that includes NFT marketplaces. Each app also reminds us that the flood of files that will one day be auto-minted to blockchains as a byproduct of daily life may not be the outcome we desire.
AirWire: NFT Your Life
Last week AirWire announced the launch of its NFT Camera App in beta with the slogan, “NFT Your Life.” This is a pivot for AirWire which previously focused on cryptocurrency services before having to shut down. AirWire was subsequently acquired by Alpha Sigma Capital in 2020 with the current focus emerging after a “reboot.”
One can sign up to be a beta tester on the AirWire site homepage. At that point, one will discover how far it’s gotten with the details of what is essentially a vertical integration of the NFT creation and sharing/monetization process. The plan is to enable users to take photos/video/audio, edit the creation in-camera, mint an NFT and then share and/or monetize the NFT on AirWire’s marketplace or an open platform such as OpenSea.
A particularly interesting feature, noted in the announcement, is the option of “Private, Public, and Retail albums” that allow users to control who sees their NFTs and whether or not they are available for sale. At this stage, it appears one could use the app without ever publicly sharing one’s creations or selling NFTs. While exclusive use of this option may not be a desirable outcome, it does suggest that AirWire could one day become a full-featured, NFT-enabled, mobile media sharing app.
S!NG: Document Your Creations
S!NG x Rarible: How To Sell Your NFT
S!NG launched its NFT mobile app in March with a focus on giving creators the ability to record creative ideas as NFTs and track development over time in order to document IP creation. However, one can also mint and sell NFTs on Rarible using the app. In addition, the S!NG Market will allow for the sale of NFTs for “music fans.”
How well S!NG app NFTs will function as records in a court of law remains to be seen. Of course, a lot of issues are settled out of court because one party reveals they have evidence that would stand up well in court. The problem with all such approaches to protecting copyright by creating an NFT is that minting an NFT doesn’t actually prove one created the material being minted. However, as part of a body of evidence, such an NFT or group of NFTs could be quite useful.
That said, S!NG also has the potential to become a key vertically integrated NFT creation and distribution tool for creators with additional tools for collaboration including tracking with whom one has shared files. In June, S!NG announced a partnership with Rarible for “one-touch” NFT sales. So, in addition to documenting creation processes, S!NG could easily be imagined as an app a musician, for example, might use to create and sell NFTs that track the progression of a track from sharing ideas to completing a song to performing it live.
The NFT Flood
Both AirWire and S!NG have much potential as individual projects and suggest a much easier route into NFT creation than the current process of haphazard self-education most creators currently undergo. But both apps also help us envision a future for NFTs that leads to the same level of endless clutter enabled by Web 2. Let’s consider the implications of AirWire CEO Ken DiCross’s statement:
“It’s time to start building blockchain applications that everyone can use without the educational barrier of blockchain technology. AirWire has built a consumer playground that allows anyone who can take a picture on their phone to mint NFTs and monetize their assets.”
If one combines the concept of mobile NFT apps emphasizing ease of use without requiring blockchain knowledge with a ubiquitous mobile computer connected to a widely available global communications network then one has the basis for worldwide mainstream adoption of NFTs.
Given that is essentially the point we are at now, what form would this mainstream adoption take?
Think about any incredibly popular site on the internet where one can freely share fun content with friends and foes alike using mobile devices.
Do your thoughts include endless piles of nonsense content and relentless exchanges of empty communication creating huge amounts of noise and making it difficult to find things you want to enjoy online?
Have you noticed NFT Land is already like that?
What happens when everybody sets the CREATE NFT button to EVERYTHING and suddenly we have all the junk we currently encounter on social sharing sites replicated by NFTs?
In lieu of a traditional conclusion, these questions should inspire your thoughts of what might happen long-term when Web 3 ideals fully meet the realities of online human behaviour. And of what you might do as an NFT creator, developer or business person when NFT Land becomes much noisier and even more crowded.
Featured Image Via Pixabay
