“The difficulties with web3 social are both a technical problem and a narrative problem”
Meet James Lynch and learn about his project exploring the possibilities and realities of web3 social with Lens and ICV
What if we investigated web3 through the lens of a product reviewer? In essence, that’s not far from what experiential journalist James Lynch is doing. In a new collaboration with Lens and IDEO CoLab Ventures, James is launching a first-of-its-kind research project that seeks to learn more about web3 social.
Pulling on his background writing for publications like Popular Mechanics, James plans to interview the people behind leading web3 communities and projects, work with them to explore their corner of web3 and collaborate on new drops, and move through the linkages of one web3 community to another to cut through the noise and get to the truth of web3 social: how it’s different from web2 social, and how it can create space for creatives to build, own, and monetize their work, soup to nuts.
Get to know James — and learn how you can get involved in the project — below!
“One of the nice things about working at Popular Mechanics is that we spent a lot of time looking at the less glamorous objects and technologies, and finding the interesting story within.” — James Lynch
Hi! Can you share a brief introduction — who are you and what do you do?
I’m James Lynch. My background is in print journalism, editorial, copy, and fiction writing. I like to explore new technologies with an eye on both the design and narrative arc of all things. I am currently a bit fixated on the intersection of God and the computer, emotional ergonomics, and thinking about what it means to be human and how our online interactions “increase” or “decrease” our humanity.
What are you currently working on with Lens and IDEO CoLab Ventures?
Right now, I’m working on an exploration of decentralized social media in partnership with Lens Protocol and ICV. I’m curious to see how the process of onboarding, using, and building on web3 differs for social media. I kind of have an “is it worth it?” question in my mind along with a curiosity about whether we’re just rebuilding what already exists somewhere else. It’d be a real bummer if it had the same issues as web2 social as far as its effect on humans.
What inspired this project? What are you hoping to learn from it?
I was talking with a few other creatives about finding the right sandbox to explore decentralized social. We kept thinking of this list of ideas to explore, things we thought were interesting, and ideas we wondered if we could turn into products. Rather than just mulling these things over, we wanted to create a content series that would allow us to explore them for the sake of exploration. I’m really hoping to learn how communities form and grow on web3, and how creators can better own and monetize their own work.
You previously worked as a Field Editor for Popular Mechanics. How does that relate to this project?
In more ways than you would expect! Working in print journalism, especially writing features, really helped me find the narrative arc in many places, and to separate the meaty details from the superfluous. It also helped me become a better researcher and identify the gaps in my own knowledge, and how that might affect my eventual story. It also required me to identify my audience, what they may find interesting, and to pitch stories that would have meaningful narratives, speak to readers, and give them some information that they would not have encountered otherwise.
One of the nice things about working at Popular Mechanics is that we spent a lot of time looking at the less glamorous objects and technologies, and finding the interesting story within. I’ve written about hot water heaters, air conditioner manufacturing, NASCAR, physics, cooking over a campfire, and VW vans. It helped me both translate complicated mechanics into digestible descriptions and find the interesting and compelling narratives that exist in all places, even unexpected ones.
In this project, that expertise has really helped me identify the pieces of decentralized social media that I want to explore. I also find that while there are good stories to tell in web3, there’s also a lot of noise. This is especially true when you consider the pace of web3 and how quickly people are developing new things. My experience has really helped me pick out a few interesting tidbits, identify the narrative arc to give them context, and piece them together in a way that is engaging and informative.
Tell us more about your approach to experiential journalism. Why is it important to test things out? How do you approach testing differently than the average person might?
You have to get in there. I’ve always enjoyed being active in the story. I don’t necessarily want to be the focus, but I think of writing more like holding a camera. When you look at a photo, you have an understanding of the subject, but also of the person behind the camera who was there with the subject.
No matter what you’re writing about, I believe that getting your hands on the place, or working with the technology, or manipulating the objects is crucial. The experience of a beginner is an asset when you’re trying to explain stories to folks who aren’t familiar with the subject matter. I can pursue my own curiosity and this creates a framework by which to tell the story.
I think for me, my approach to testing comes with the narrative in mind. It’s not enough to jump from one thing to the next, I need to understand the link between them. These are the transitions between beats in the story.
“I want to learn how web3 social can make us feel good, how it can enable us to connect better with other real live humans, how it can help us get past busy work and to real creation, and how it can help us get to real world experiences and interactions.” — James Lynch
Do you have any hypotheses about web3 social that you’re excited to explore with this project? What else are you hoping to learn?
I’m trying to go in with a pretty blank slate and see what I find. I think some objectivity is a good thing in exploring this. I want to leave myself space to see phenomena as silly or difficult and not let my own excitement push me past friction that might stop other people.
I’m also hoping to learn how web3 helps us overcome common difficulties with web2 social. I want to learn how it can make us feel good, how it can enable us to connect better with other real live humans, how it can help us get past busy work and to real creation, and how it can help us get to real world experiences and interactions.
What’s the approach for this research?
I think it’s like pulling on a thread of a loose sweater. I have some initial curiosities, and I’m letting the features of this project come from pulling on those threads. It’s already such a community-based space. I’ve found in the beginning of my research that one person always leads me to the next. This doesn’t need to be a complete survey of the space — instead I want to explore a few niche communities and how the interoperability of web3 social allows them to better connect and build together.
How is web3 social different from the looking in you’ve done already?
Right now, I think web3 really suffers from a difficulty in onboarding. It’s just hard to get here right now. That’s both a technical problem, and a narrative problem. Things are changing so fast that it’s hard for new folks to figure out how to get on without having their hand held by an expert.
But it’s not all negative. The way a creator can slide between spaces is amazing, I love how web3 social offers more of an online identity than collection of spaces, and I love how it’s more of a frontier. You aren’t fighting established giants in the space when you’re trying to build something. It seems more optimistic for small groups and individuals to make a major difference.
“I find that while there are good stories to tell in web3, there’s also a lot of noise.” — James Lynch
How do you find inspiration for what you work on generally?
Thankfully, I’m surrounded by inspiring creatives. The folks at ICV and those they keep in their orbit are always inspiring me to think bigger, do more, and move boldly. This includes Austin Robey, an incredible organizer and executor who I also worked with on Metalabel : Assembly, and Shuya Gong, who is an old friend and consistently impresses me with all she does. Her execution is amazing. The creation of a pin for an expression I say all the time (“Boy, howdy!”) led to this whole pitch deck she artfully crafted (I’d still love to make that podcast with her).
There are so many projects I see that make me go: “I want to do that, I want to have that execution, look at what that singular person did!” Across the board, everyone at ICV has been so friendly in explaining their thinking and process.
What drives your artistic practice, and how has it changed over time?
Curiosity. I’m not sure it’s really changed to be honest. I just love knowing how things work and asking “What if…?” or “Could I…?” At the end of the day, I just want to know more, to make weird things that change people’s perspective, and to help others understand or manipulate storylines they’re curious about.
“No matter what you’re writing about, I believe that getting your hands on the place, or working with the technology, or manipulating the objects is crucial.” — James Lynch
Do you see your work as being in conversation with, or reaction to, anything?
That’s a curious question. I always try to think of an unknowing audience. I want to speak to people’s highest intelligence while also helping them understand concepts that just haven’t been explained to them yet. I want to build ladders, not flagpoles.
Any words of advice for other creators like yourself?
The hardest part is starting.
And you can’t be a writer and editor at the same time. While that’s specific to my work, I think it’s also much more broadly applicable. Let yourself get the thing out, then worry about making it right. Trying to edit or critique your own work while you make it just puts you in a stop and start flow that pinches off creativity — in my experience.
How can folks get involved with the project? Where can they follow along?
Come find us across the LENS ecosystem at @design! I’m also on Twitter and Instagram, but I mostly post about the outdoors, the Buffalo Bills, traveling, and living in NYC. Life is about balance.
