Deep Dive: Why Crypto Opens a Paradigm Change in the Creator Economy

The Crypto world seems to be full of hype and speculation. It's nice (and totally crazy) that people are making life-changing bucks selling NFT images on the internet, but what's the point of all this? What tangible value do cryptocurrencies have?

economy

A resounding claim in favor of Crypto is that it's great for creators of all genres, as well as their fans. If you explore this argument, you'll hear terms like the "creator economy" and the "passion economy." If you follow people discussing the field, you will undoubtedly notice Li Jin.

Li Jin's vision for this world is as follows:

A world where people can do what they love and live fuller, more meaningful lives.
She is widely regarded as one of the people who thinks and writes about how to be an internet creator. I went down a deep rabbit hole and read a lot of her interviews and writing. One thing stands out to me: Crypto can help us build a world where we can all earn income and ownership from our contributions on the internet.

To understand the value of Crypto to creators and their fans, we need to look back at the challenges and opportunities that creators have faced throughout history. I'm going to draw a lot from Li Jin's wisdom to tell the story of the creator economy and how it developed.

*The ideas in this article are not my credit, the whole article is basically a reproduction of Li Jin's ideas. I tried to put them together in a logical and accessible narrative to understand the creator economy and the role Crypto plays in it. If these ideas resonate with you, I highly recommend listening to Li Jin's interview or reading her work.

Anyway, let's get to know Li Jin first before we delve into her thoughts.

Who is Li Jin?


Li Jin comes from a first-generation immigrant family. Born in Beijing, China, she moved to the United States at the age of 6. Growing up, she faced a back-and-forth struggle between creativity and the practical need to support herself financially. She loved historical and Victorian novels, but her mother told her she was wasting her time reading novels. She enjoys writing novels and poetry, or crafts, but doesn't know how to turn those interests into money.