Should we ditch the term NFT when talking about digital art?
NFT. Those letters have come to mean a lot over the past couple of years — both good and bad. NFTs are digital artworks, they’re certificates of authenticity, they’re digital collectibles, they’re Twitter profile pics, they’re investment vehicles, they’re access tokens to membership clubs — the list goes on and on.
NFTs encompass so many things and have so many different utilities that it begs the question: are we doing artists a disservice if we continue to lump in digital art NFTs with everything else? In doing so, is digital art falling victim to some of the negative associations NFTs have gained for their other uses?
Are we doing artists a disservice if we continue to lump in digital art NFTs with everything else?
While NFTs have decidedly entered mainstream consciousness and have been boldly embraced by many well-respected brands, art institutions, celebrities, etc., they still remain a polarizing topic. For some reason, we can’t seem to fully shake the negative associations with crypto-bro culture that took root right at the start. People still seem to see impressive NFT projects as one offs rather than as reflective of the space as a whole.
So how do we remedy this? Do we bide our time, believing that slowly-but-surely the negative associations will fall away as more and more brands and artists enter the space? Or do we stop using the term NFT at all and instead shift to using digital art?
The decision is a difficult one. NFTs will always have meaning and usage that expands way beyond being a vehicle for digital art sales. The technology simply can’t be limited to digital art. On the other hand, ditching the term NFT and fully embracing “digital art” also carries some complications.
Digital art as a medium has existed long before NFTs entered the scene. We’ve established that not all NFTs are digital art but the reverse is also true — not all digital artworks are NFTs. Digital art that is not backed by blockchain technology will continue to exist alongside digital artwork that is.
Can the two co-exist under the same “digital art” designation? Do we need to keep using the term “NFT” in order to encompass all the blockchain associations that “digital art” doesn’t inherently retain? Is there value in continuing to emphasize the tech that underlies digital art NFTs?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
