Why did we become Degenz?
The Emergence of NFT Communities from a Psychological Perspective
To understand why digital communities have become so prevalent, we must first understand human nature and psychology. It wasn’t until I heard a Joe Rogan podcast completely unrelated to the Web 3.0 space that the success of NFT communities made much more sense. At that point, I had been working full-time in the token infrastructure industry for about 3 months, but I had only just begun buying NFTs for myself. On that 2017 podcast, Joe Rogan explained Dunbar’s number.
Dunbar’s Number
Dunbar’s Number is the population at which one large tribe splits into two less populated tribes. This number is believed to be somewhere between 150 and 5,000. When I heard that, it clicked.
Think of 5 tribesmen back in the day. What chance did each of them have to survive on their own from a lion, a pack of wolves, or even a cold winter? A pretty low chance. Each of those tribesmen, however, only knew the other 4 in the group. With such a small knowledge of civilization, each of the tribe members needed to know themselves. They needed to know what to eat, when to hunt, when to sleep, where not to go, what predators to avoid, etc.
Taking this a step further, imagine choosing between a tribe of 5 or a tribe of 100. Most people would choose the tribe of 100. This is the first step of community creation: using our natural survival instincts to understand that banding together with more people means greater chances of survival. This clinging onto others for support has a naturally selfish intent for the purpose of survival, but once these tribes grew, each member realized that their purpose was not solely survival, but rather a better life through contribution to the tribe. At this point in the tribe’s lifespan, all members were equally visible. Everyone knew each member’s role within the community and held each other to standards of contribution to the tribe.
As tribe populations increased, more people meant more protection and less worry about survival. When looking at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, basic needs were satisfied by an abundant supply of food, water, shelter, and security; psychological needs were met surrounding relationships, friendships, and accomplishments (i.e. a successful hunt); and the only thing left was self-fulfillment.
With selfish desires arising due to subsiding survival instincts, tribe members started to compare themselves to other community members as a natural hierarchy within the tribe formed. Those who contributed to the tribe without recognition began to form feelings of resentment. Since the tribe had grown in size, members became less visible, allowing for bad actors and foul play. This is when a tribe has reached Dunbar’s Number, the point at which self-interest has toppled community interests and a minority sect that is no longer satisfied with the tribe decides to venture off for a new start.
Modern Day Communities
With the growth of civilization, metropolises have formed. At first, they may appear inviting and exciting, but no city can satisfy every resident’s need for a sense of community with populations reaching the tens of millions. Go to New York, Miami, or LA and try to say hi to someone on the street that you didn’t previously know. They will look at you like you are crazy. Even a brief smile at a passing stranger will land you the title of Creep Master 3000.
To recreate our sense of community in these cities, we naturally formed our own tribes; they just looked a little different than hunter-gatherer communities. Churches formed for those with religious interests, teams formed for those dedicated to sports, book clubs formed for middle-aged women craving a place to gossip, and so on. Many people had found their place in life in the present through contribution to these communities, but then the pandemic came.
The last year and a half have been some of the toughest times recorded in history from a country, city, and personal perspective. An immense sense of fear and disconnection from others has pushed many people into the darkest mental spaces of their lives. Locked inside with no in-person interaction, lied to by “credible” sources supposedly sharing unbiased news, and unable to even see our closest friends’ faces when we finally got permission to interact with others are just a few of the many contributing factors to our dissociation from the communities we felt kin to for so long.
Hope in Digital Communities
Pushed back to our survival instincts, we searched for a sense of community; however, with the inability to have IRL (In Real Life) interaction, we chose the alternate route of joining digital communities. Video games, social media platforms, e-commerce stores, etc. have created digital interactions for years, but it took the inception of blockchain to harness the true power of community through technology.
Think of the population of tribes before they reached Dunbar’s Number. As I mentioned, everyone was visible. With NFTs and the blockchain, each community member is now visible. We have done a full loop in the cycle of civilization and incorporated our psychological needs into digital communities verified by the blockchain. I don’t believe it is a coincidence that the size of these NFT communities ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand members. Each of us may have gotten into NFTs for the possible monetary gain or appreciation of art, but we all have stayed for the new friends made, ideas shared, and communities built. This has given many, including myself, a new purpose. NFTs are not an investment; they are a new way of life that once again satisfies our most basic needs.
