So, you might have noticed that OpenAI’s co-founder, Sam Altman, recently announced a brand new product. It’s called Worldcoin, and it allows you to use a photo of your iris in order to secure your digital wallet. This means that, for good or ill, the conspiracy theories write themselves.
I actually think that Worldcoin is an innovative solution that solves a myriad of chronic problems. The issue is whether or not people are willing to adopt Worldcoin so they can actually benefit from the solutions it provides.
Here’s the thing: as far as naming goes, Worldcoin misses the mark somewhat. Other consumer-friendly tech products have names that both explain what they are and are also comfortably neutral. And while the term Worldcoin definitely explains what it is, it does not feel neutral. You say Worldcoin, and I think Bond villain or maybe Mr. Claw from Inspector Gadget.
Either way, it does not feel as cozy and reliable as it should. I can think of a couple of other names that could have been used for this product. It could have been named Terra coin, which, yes, would have felt a little sci-fi and fantasyish but wouldn’t have felt villainous. They also could have named the product Earth points, though of course, that would have made it seem like it was affiliated with some sort of credit card reward system.
Alternatively, they could have also decided to go another route and named the product Ineros. This is just the word dineros without a “d,” and it automatically makes me think of moolah.
If I were tasked with renaming Worldcoin, I think I’d call it something simple and cute like Aia. The reason why I’d choose a name like this is that it would allow me to reference an archaic Italian word that means open space/threshing floor. Also it’s Gaia without a “g”, which is a reference to the elemental earth and our planet. Additionally, Aia could simultaneously also act as an acronym for something like “Access International Aureate.” By the way, “aureate” is a term that means made of gold and is an easy way to remind people of the gold standard.
This is useful because most people associate gold and other precious metals with reliable, historic, and familiar forms of physical currency. Therefore, if you choose a name that is short, easy to remember, and tied into narratives that people are already comfortable with, it’s easier to get them to adopt the product. However, Worldcoin can be rebranded without a name change.
The easiest way of doing this is to double down and take the wind out of all paranoid sails. Worldcoin is an extremely secure system, and its method of ID verification solves a lot of problems. However, people are going to be uncomfortable with it, due to the modern mythos that is associated with things like iris identification and neologisms like Worldcoin.
The only way to really deal with this is to do two things. The first thing, of course, is to practice extreme transparency and ensure that all documentation around Worldcoin is 5th grade legible. People are more likely to project fear onto topics and ideas that they don’t understand. This is why Worldcoin needs to be easy to understand. The second thing we need to do is drain away all of the unfounded fear. The easiest way to do this is with humor. Make jokes about how cartoonishly villainous Worldcoin sounds. Launch an approachable mascot, and focus on how cute Orbs sound. Create content and memes about conspiracy theories associated with the security verification method and get people laughing.
Education and humor are two of the best tools for combating ignorance and fear. If we want Worldcoin to be successful and to be adopted by as many people as possible, we need to do everything we can to ensure the general population has automatic positive associations whenever they think of the product.
One of the best ways you can do this is by creating a thriving community where people are rewarded for creating innovative content around Worldcoin. This would help to replace trepidation with inspiration and would start the process of saturating the public perception of Worldcoin with positivity. It doesn’t matter how good a tool is if people won’t use it. This is why it’s essential that Worldcoin owns and repositions the narrative patterns associated with it, afterall use is what defines the lifespan of a tool.
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