what will be the killer use case for web3 messaging? what will make web3 messaging 10x more convenient than the alternative? can't be encryption (already exists). a "twilio for web3" makes sense but there has to be a killer use case outside of b2b?
i agree with the notion that a wallet will eventually be the "fundamental unit of consumer data" (h/t Daisy @ Dirt for this verbiage) and we need messaging so we can actually talk to each other. but not sure what that wedge will be
I think permissionless innovation on a growing network of users (with the associated social graph weighting) + public / private keypair is a new primitive. Signal graph is not (easily) permissionless.
Interoperability between platforms and integration with web3 applications.
I think it will have to do with identity. Another way to say this is that it will have to do with the graph (farcaster helps!). Needs to be open and anonymous friendly but not anonymous only.
Haven’t come up with a snappy phrase for it, but I think the killer app is “credible communication at scale”. Think about how differently you interact with people online you’ve verified in some way. Sufficiently decentralized proof of cred fundamentally improves communication
I wonder if web3 messaging will be notifications or messages from products, services, and protocols rather people. For people to people messaging only a web3 ID is truly needed...
if it can display different community chats in multiple columns like tweetdeck does and has instant token verification(not through bots like collab land) it is already a huge improvement over discord ui & ux(with the exception of vc which I have no idea how to implement on chain)
my guess is successful web3 messaging emerge in a network-first way vs. feature-first ie FB messenger, iMessage - obviously FC has huge potential here - I'm surprised OpenSea hasn't created messaging app targeting NFT trade use cases within their network. MagicEden might do this.
Maybe everything just looks like a nail right now, but the root is the account structure, so wallets. Without killer wallets there can be no killer features. Philosophical equivalent of not having a browser and a bank account, without those, what can you do?
Killer use cases will accumulate. They will form a flywheel that brings more to bear. Having even one killer use case will beget more. Support is one of those. Independent cryptographic verification of sender and message authenticity means phishing is much, much harder.
1. web3 messaging = standardisation 2. inbox = aggregated app experience, apps compete for users 3. specific apps will still have discrete messaging experiences. IMO the comp here is a telephone call.
web3 messaging will have far less spam not sure abt the mechanism (could be something like hashcash, could be token-gating, could be ML) but an open social graph + wallets + protocols = incentive and ability to innovate on this problem plus we’re all aware of it from the start
the killer use case is already there ~ the interoperability. just needs to be packaged in a social messaging app for small groups of close friends. feed with intersection of messaging x collecting NFTs x payments x defi positions.
it’s still b2b but web3 chatbot could be something interring - and useful too?
Semi hot take but I think it will require an abstraction from the concept of a wallet. Private keys inherently create a less convenient experience for most of the non technical world. What will make it better is a composable social experience that consolidates other apps into one
6 degrees of separation visualized. Imagine a social graph where you can visualize a friend who also knows x without having to ask friend if they know x
The killer use case is wallet aggregators with messaging at the protocol level. One place with all your assets and secure messaging.
Group chat. Not in the traditional sense, but as part of a community you belong to with some higher-level notion of ownership, alignment, or coordination
direct messaging on platforms like opensea to negotiate an NFT offer as a collector, that’d be valuable to me
a nft collection that enables messaging only between holders. kinda niche but it’s like a private group
I think web3 messaging is not, in itself a compelling proposition; but an enabling tool that superpowers the wallet as a unit of identity in today's world.
At that point it’s not about efficiency anymore. Having a personalized experience from messaging history and social graph without giving away ownership of the data is powerful.
Although I’m not convinced telegram or signal is 10x more convenient than WhatsApp this is a good question…. I think the fact that it’s open source and you are building a social graph using it means that it’s 10x easier for someone to build that killer use case
Dapp to wallet messaging: Today: Notification - go to that specific app (venmo, bank app, social etc.) web3: Notification - do action (deposit, buy, send share) from wallet W2W: - Gets us closer to one app for all/most messaging - Superhuman but for all social / messaging
I’ll add one as it relates to social networking. Zk proof-based identity layers. Would allow for pseudonymous interaction with verified traits.
community chats/working groups tied to identity, activity and contributions
to me, it’s the net new consumer use cases that group chats being built on crypto rails unlocks. eg. you’re going on a ski trip, how do your coordinate (vote) on an Airbnb to book, divide expenses (today via Splitwise and venmo) transparently all in one app and chat.
killer use case might be on the surrounding ecosystem of mini-dapps a group chat with friends is the purest social app IMO. the 10x improvement might not come on messaging but on the social fabric within
would love to tell you, but better wait and see for yourself ;)