The TikTok ban is another reminder to control your own internet presence.
For a few hours this weekend, visitors from the United States were shut out of TikTok.
That was just a minor inconvenience for most TikTok users. They found something else to do with their time rather than mindlessly swipe through short videos of cats and sports highlights.
But it was a stressful time for creators who depend on TikTok for their livelihoods. Whether they promote their likeness or sell goods to their followers, the app’s ban meant their business could evaporate overnight.
It’s a stark reminder of the risks people take when they build a business or a following on a company’s platform. You don’t own the platform, and the platform surely has different incentives than you do.
Previously, it was the platforms themselves that harmed users who grew dependent on them. Facebook convinced companies to build their fanbase on Facebook, only to charge them to get in front of those fans. X (Twitter) has changed the rules of engagement under new ownership, making it harder for some users to benefit from their activity.
The TikTok ban is a different kind of threat. While the U.S. banning an app may seem shocking, it’s quite common for countries to do this. (China has blocked Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp, among others.)
Whether it’s the platform itself or the government, building an audience on a social media platform is risky. It can be taken from you at any moment.
Let this serve as another reminder that you need to own your audience. You need a website and email, and you need a domain you can build upon—something that won’t be taken away at a platform’s whim.
You are absolutely right.
Thinking this through to the end automatically leads to buying Web3 domains without renewal fees (e.g. from Freename) instead of Web2 domains, because only Web3 domains offer true ownership (with many advantages). Web2 domains, on the other hand, are only leased for 1 year and are subject to monitoring by authorities.
but web3 domains don’t resolve for 99.99% of internet users. so…. they have no utility. its like saying… you can get these amazing eyeglasses for free, and as many as you want… but you don’t actually need eyeglasses to see. maybe in the future? the thing is.. if you do encourage domainers to get as many web3 domains as possible since they are free… you’ll never get development, which is what drives consumer adoption…. web3 domains do have a future for sure. but instead of encouraging mass registrations and hope to squeeze a penny or two out of people, you should encourage development, which will lead to root zone acceptance.
Absolutely right.
And I see this development already.
I disagree. When blockchain-based domains were first released, there was a push that these could avoid censorship. That’s why Unstoppable Domains got its name. But let’s be real, here…how many people need to worry about having their domain name be completely deplatformed? And what business are they in? It’s not something that 99.99999% of people and businesses need to worry about.
Web3 domains are not just about censorship. In the coming years, we will see exorbitant growth in blockchain technology (which has already started intensively).
Especially domains must also have a home on the blockchain, particularly due to the clear trend towards tokenization. All real world assets will be located on the blockchain in the future. As domains are digital, they lend themselves particularly well to being the first product to be tokenized.
Web3 domains also have the ability to bring structure to the very complex blockchain technology.
In the future, the boundaries between Web2 and Web3 will disappear and the two will grow together. But probably the Web3 will have grown bigger than Web2 by then.
One final thought at this point:
If companies not only want to represent themselves on Web2, but also on Web3, then they will not be able to avoid Web3 domains.
I wasn’t trying to suggest that. You wrote, “Thinking this through to the end automatically leads to buying Web3 domains without renewal fees”. I don’t think it automatically leads to that.
Thank you for the feedback.
In a changed environment, it very probably could.