Introduction
The concept of community is not new to humans. It seems like we are wired to always want to connect with others and do things together. Many would say that man is a social animal. Consider for example that humans live together in rural and urban centers. That is a community. Humans do business together - a community. We make families, have cultures, speak languages and do other things together. All these revolve around the concept of communities.
Today, a digital revolution is happening and this has redefined the concept of communities as we know it. While communities always have this idea of people doing things together with a central governing authority, web3 has dissolved this age-old structure and make communities one of the strongest elements of any organization.
In this discussion, we will talk a lot about web3 and related concepts like tokenomics, decentralization, and governance. We will see how web3 - mainly through blockchain technology - is leading a revolution that has made community engagement inclusive, participatory and a force for collective decision-making.
Communities have always been known for hierarchy
Traditional communities always have this written or unwritten code of class distinction. Whether they are offline social communities, or digitally-based communities, hierarchy has always been a constant feature. There are the leaders usually made up of few, privileged individuals tasked with making decisions and implementing them. This group is usually small, powerful, and often considered superior. They are the core. But that is not all. There is yet another category.
The second group are the members of a community. This is often the largest crowd made up of people that are often considered lower than the leadership. While they are many in number, they often have little say or participation in how the organization is run. Their engagement or contributions are often limited especially when it comes to critical decision-making processes.
Basically, the structure of traditional communities is such that some special elite members are supposed to be doing all the engagement - discussing about what needs to be done, brainstorming ideas, making rules and handing out penalties. Another group are supposed to listen, take orders, talk less, engage a little, and just do as they have been commanded to. This is the way we see communities today, but web3 has brought a massive revolution to this mode of operation.
Establishing a platform for equal engagement opportunities
One important activity that communities do is making decisions on how the community is run. That includes making rules, and any regulations that others must follow. For traditional communities, the few elite members of the leadership takes on this task. But web3 communities brought a revolution in decision making, empowering members to engage actively in this important activity.
Web3 introduced a system of community-based decision-making called Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO). With DAO, the core task of decision-making is taken from the few constituted leaders to the entire community. DAOs empowers each member of the community to engage in all aspects of governance. It gives users the power to participate in the highest form of engagement in the community - governance.
DAOs are powered by blockchain smart contracts. Each member of the community has a stake often represented by community tokens which gives them the ability to vote on proposals. No single individual or group of select leaders exist. Instead, the powers of governance is collective, decentralized and rests with the community. This new form of community leadership puts everyone on the same plain when it comes to engagement.
The decentralization of governance gives everyone an equal voice, a level playing ground to make their voice heard. It empowered community members to actively constitute the leadership. DAOs foster an inclusive environment where everyone has a sense of belonging. This has transformed communities from a place where orders are taken from higher authority to structure where everyone engages in governance and decision-making processes.
Creating a reward system for active engagement
Unlike traditional communities where there is little engagement from members, web3 communities introduced a way to encourage and reward active engagement through the creation of tokens. It is not surprising to hear often that web3 communities are tokenized.
The token system brings a cause-and-effect feeling in communities. Members are to be rewarded for active contribution with those tokens. Each token is a store of value which grants more access or privileges to premium features, or can simple be converted to money. The token system which was introduced by web3 communities add a reward structure which was badly lacking.
The result of web3 community tokens is that each member has a reason to stay active and engaged. The tokens motivate community members to carry out positive participation in all community activities, expecting to be rewarded for all the value they add to the ecosystem.
It is now very easy to understand why web3 communities are usually the most active, vibrant and motivated of all digital communities. Community native tokens provide that fuel on which the community runs. Without rewards, users see no reason to participate in an outstanding way. But with the incentive system created by these tokens, everyone is eager to provide the highest value of engagement to the community in order to claim token rewards.
Transparency of engagement records
The use of blockchain technology to power web3 communities added more value that is unique only to web3 communities. Blockchains technology is designed to securely store transaction records on distributed ledger in a transparent manner. This allows web3 communities to store and display records of engagement in a trustless, open manner. Everyone could see the records and engagement history.
The issue of transparency has bothered traditional communities for long. There is always that element of secrecy among the leadership. The process of decision-making and the input of leadership members in traditional communities are often hidden. Only the final decision is communicated to the members and the are expected to abide by them. This is different from web3 communities in which all the decision-making process is decentralized, and transparent for all to see.
What is achieved with transparently storing engagement records is to gain members and public trust. Everyone would see that a web3 community is governed by the members and the entire process is devoid of any manipulations. The transaction records of all voting processes are public stored. The engagement count of all members are also open for all to see. Everyone can independently verify each transaction and this fosters full trust of the system by all.
Remember that blockchain records are immutable should quickly dispel any fears of manipulation by anyone. Since each transaction is publicly stored and can never be modified on the blockchain, web3 communities are the best of all technologies that promote fairness every step of the way. As a result, members of the community have absolute trust that each engagement of decision of the community is a collective decision which can be verified by anyone. Trust is fully captured in web3 communities.
A system where engagement is uncensored
Another way of taking engagement to a whole new level is that web3 communities promote free speech. In traditional communities, engagement is limited to a few to leaders. For members, their views must align with what the leadership wants, otherwise they could be silenced. Hence, members of a traditional community sometimes fear that their contribution or engagement could be seen as opposition to the leadership.
Because of the way web3 communities are decentralized, everyone is free to share their opinion and they are respected. No one is banned for having a different opinion. And members are not coerced in any way to change their opinion because they are different. Instead, every personal view is respected, and recorded on the blockchain.
The creation and promotion of an uncensored forum for digital communication allows the free flow of ideas and exchange of thoughts among community participants. This gives the community an opportunity to leverage the wisdom of the crowd. The best opinions are always upheld in the interest of the community.
Besides all other benefits, promoting free speech makes community members feel valued. Their voice counts and their opinions are taken with any ill-feelings. At the end of the day, all contributions are voted for by the community. The one that majority of the members votes are implemented. Thus web3 communities redefined how engagement or contribution from community members are viewed. They are uncensored, valued and recorded. Giving the contributor a sense of belonging and feeling of being important.
Conclusion
Traditional communities treat engagement as a privilege reserved to the few top leaders. Engagement for the members were limited and there are no rewards for active participation. Besides, not all views are accepted. But, web3 communities redefined engagement. It created a system where active participation is valued, respected and rewarded without any element of censorship.