Large online communities are developing the attributes of nations: a shared identity (people), governance structures (blockchains, forums), and economies (cryptocurrencies). The next logical step in their evolution is to resolve the tension between their digital cohesion and physical dispersion by crowdfunding and acquiring land.
Current digital communities in WhatsApp or Discord are primitive because they are one-dimensional—they only support chat. The next evolution of community platforms will integrate multiple dimensions, such as native crypto, VR spaces, and tools for organizing physical meetups, directly into the experience.
Despite the evolution from early chat rooms to massive social media platforms, the pendulum has swung back to more intimate, contained spaces like Discord. This cycle shows technology ultimately serves a deep-seated human desire to connect with like-minded people in comfortable, manageable settings.
Jeremy Allaire predicts that just as businesses moved online, they will now transition to being 'on-chain.' This means core corporate functions like contracts, governance, and financials will be executed by smart contracts and AI, fundamentally changing how corporations operate.
Paradoxically, as digital interactions become increasingly AI-mediated and less trustworthy, the value of local communities skyrockets. Their non-replicable assets—trust, local context, and shared identity—become premium goods, positioning these institutions as essential "human layers" in a synthetic world.
Major innovations often aren't about inventing new components, but about cleverly integrating existing, mature technologies into a unified product. This was true for Netscape's browser and Bitcoin, and will likely be true for the first successful network states, which will combine crypto, VR, and community platforms.
Data has become a primary means of production alongside capital and labor. Following historical parallels with agricultural co-ops and labor unions, communities will likely form "data unions" to pool their data, enabling collective bargaining with large corporations and restoring individual power.
As AI makes information universally accessible, traditional status markers like 'knowledge' will devalue. The new status will be derived from the ability to convene and lead large, in-person communities. Influence will be measured by one's capacity to facilitate real-world human connection and experiences, fighting digital isolation.
The next wave of physical communities, or "startup societies," are being directly inspired by digital-native ideas. This moves beyond online forums to creating real-world spaces centered around specific innovations like biotech, education, or even intersections of culture like a "tech hip hop community."
The last decade of crypto focused on moving assets like Bitcoin on-chain. The next, more significant mega-trend will be the migration of entire companies and their real-world revenue streams onto blockchains, involving both crypto-native firms and traditional giants like BlackRock and Stripe.
Successful crypto projects will move beyond pure financial utility. By building in social components (community identity) and emotional components (contributing to a social good), they can build the trust and narrative strength needed to stand out in a crowded market.