Zora's launching its $ZORA token. Okay, cool. Another day, another token, right? This one really rubs me the wrong way. It should frustrate you as well, ideally if you’re one of the millions of artists and builders who live and die by their NFT work grinding, endlessly, hoping for a fair shot at the top half of the deck.

Zora Zora, a platform with more than 618,000 creators on their platform and $350 million in secondary trading volume, calls $ZORA “purely for fun.” No governance rights. No equity. Just…fun. Fun for whom, exactly? Are we actually forging the future of the creator economy? It often feels like we’re pinning our hopes on “fun” tokens that offer zero substantive governance to the true value creators.

Purely for Fun? Seriously?

Let's be blunt: this feels like a slap in the face. Or just think of it like designing a home, pixel by digital pixel. Now, imagine being told you don’t get a vote on how your neighborhood is governed. You just get to…have fun.

It's infuriating, isn't it? Zora’s success ultimately depends on how much value creators perceive in the community. These people are the life blood of the platform as they use it to connect, share, and ultimately earn crypto. And why shouldn’t they have a meaningful stake in the longterm viability of the platform?

Think about it. We’ve all heard the hype around Web3, around the virtue of decentralization and how it’s going to empower the creator economy. Then we get this – a token that essentially says, "Thanks for the content, now sit down and be quiet." Counter to what creators have told them, it mimics the legacy system they’re all fleeing from. The antiquated model in which the labels and streaming services have all the control. The current state of play, in which artists are forced to scramble for crumbs.

Forgotten Voices Matter Most

What about the smaller creators? The ones that aren’t already swimming in ETH? The ones who are using Zora as a lifeline, a way to connect with their audience and earn a living? Are they only supposed to enjoy themselves when it’s “fun?

This story isn’t just Zora’s story – it’s part of a much larger trend. What we’re actually witnessing is a push from platforms to make it seem like they are empowering creators while desperately holding onto traditional systems of power. It’s the equivalent of giving a person starving to death one bite-sized piece of cake and claiming you’re providing them with a banquet.

The ZORA token has no governance features. As such, the platform’s future is completely dependent on Zora’s small team and investors. How can we get a read on whether the needs of all kinds of creators — and not just the most lucrative — are being served? How do we avoid the short-termist, yonder-like dream of the platform being another echo chamber for the rich and well-connected?

The Ethereum Foundation is refocusing — and that’s a wonderful thing. But where are the efforts directed at the real creators on these platforms – the workers?

  • Layer 1 Scaling: Important, but doesn't directly empower creators.
  • Layer 2 Support: Helpful, but doesn't guarantee equitable governance.
  • User Experience: Necessary, but can be a superficial fix if the underlying power dynamics remain unchanged.
  • Interoperability: Useful, but doesn't address the core issue of creator ownership.

Economic Justice, Not Just 'Fun'

I'm not against fun. Trust me, I love a quality meme as much as anyone. When we're talking about building a sustainable and equitable creator economy, "fun" shouldn't be the primary objective. Economic justice should be.

To make it as accessible as possible, Zora is launching on Base, Coinbase’s Layer 2. Without true ownership, this access comes off as simply window dressing. It's like giving someone a key to a house they don't own.

We have to be willing to demand more from these platforms. We need to push models that really do put the power in creators’ hands. Whatever form these models take, they should provide them a voice and empower them to participate in the success they help create.

Whether or not for Zora it is too late to take a step back and rethink the usefulness of the $ZORA token. Perhaps not. But if they don't, I fear they'll be remembered as a missed opportunity, a platform that promised creator empowerment but ultimately delivered…well, just "fun." And in the long haul, “fun” doesn’t keep the lights on, right? It doesn't build a community. It doesn't change the world. Real ownership does.

Are you questioning your sanity, feeling used and abused or maybe just a tad bit duped by how the NFT space is developing? You're not alone. One more thing—let’s ask for better! Together, we can create a more inclusive and sustainable creator economy that benefits all creators, not just a select few. We cannot allow ourselves to be satisfied with “fun” when we should be demanding our seat at the table.