We all have our dark sides, it’s undeniable. The difference is some of us make sure to bury it deep inside ourselves. However, others push it to the surface showing it off. But, it’s always there begging to come out. How can you showcase your darkness in a socially accepted way? Art. And, the NFT space appreciates and encourages artistic liberty. But some things go beyond gory JPEGs and develop into crimes. Let’s dive right into the dark side of web3. Just a heads-up, it’s gruesome.
Weirdest NFT Collections Of The Dark Side of Web3
There’s a lot to unpack in the dark side of web3. But, let’s start with art. I wouldn’t call these collections artistic in any way. They’re nothing but a mere reflection of some people’s fetishes. Hands, feet, animals, women… It’s all there.
Feetpix
I’m not making this up, feetpix NFTs are a thing. They’re literally non-fungible pixelated feet pictures. But, no one cares right? Wrong. When the collection first dropped, it created A LOT of hype.
In fact, on the day of its launch, it accumulated 778 ETH in volume despite it being a free mint. It got so weird that some people were tweeting pictures of their ACTUAL feet. It was marketed as part of the “meme” side of the space.
Yes, memes were created, but there’s a fraction of truth under every meme. Who would enjoy the thrill of sharing feetpix memes? Exactly.
Handpix
Some like feet and others like hands. To each their own fantasy. I mean, when feetpix launched, it was only natural for handpix to follow. They didn’t succeed in bagging a lot of money, though.
So far, they’ve only managed to gather 18 ETH in sales volume. I mean, 18 ETH is approximately 28.2K thousand dollars. Still, though, its floor price currently stands at 0.0001 ETH. Not the most successful NFT collection.
Used Toilets
This is probably the shittiest NFT project I’ve seen. Get it? I’m not sure why. So I’m just going to jump onto the next collection which is worse.
Fucking Elephants
Uhm, yeah. This NFT collection carries a message. How can 3D sculptures of fucking elephants reflect a message? I know, I know. But they do. It criticizes the demographic situation of South Africa where the development of infrastructures is not following the population increase.
Interesting way of standing up for a cause not gonna lie.
Vitalik’s Bulge
Did someone actually make an NFT collection of Vitalik’s that? Yep. And, yes this is no other than Vitalik Buterin the founder of Ethereum.
Supernormal Dream Girls
Women are objectified every single day everywhere. In real life, web2, and now web3. Supernormal dream girls are proof of that. Trust me, the above pictures are the least explicit ones I could find.
And, to no one’s surprise, the artist is a male. Because who mainly portrays women like this? Men. To add salt to the wound, this project is backed by the crypto giant Binance. So, why is Binance supporting the objectification of women?
The Dark Side Of Web3 Is Full Of Hacks
If you’ve been in this space for a while, you must know that hacks are everywhere. All you need is a wallet and you’re exposed to possible scams. So, always make sure your wallet is secure. And, don’t connect to shady websites. Double-check that whatever you’re connecting to is legit and safe.
However, do you know who is in the red danger zone? Leading projects and influencers. The more people know you have money, the more people want to snatch it from you. Let me share with you a FEW of what happened this year.
Blue-chip Projects And Leading Influencers Hacked
- Blue-chip project Azuki’s Twitter got hacked causing $778K in losses in 30 minutes.
- Top NFT influencer NFTGod got hacked and lost all his crypto assets including his infamous mutant ape.
- A cryptopunks collector, cryptonovo, woke up to being hacked and 4 of his punks were transferred to other wallets.
Celebrities Scamming Their Audience
- Logan Paul faced a lawsuit after allegedly scamming CryptoZoo holders.
- Coffeezilla Exposes MMA Fighter Danis for taking bribes to promote rug pull projects.
Mimicking Being Inside Your Wallet
The dark side of web3 just got darker. Do you know what happens when hackers really want to steal your money but can’t hack your wallet? They pretend to hack your wallet. The latest NFT scam is sending a video mimicking that they’re inside your wallet.
They threaten to drain it if you don’t send them a certain amount of money. But, how? We already covered this here.
Greed Dominating The Dark Side Of Web3
If you want to get to know the dark side of web3, just look at NFT marketplaces. It’s the hub of everything dark and twisted. The mastermind of the space’s greediness is Blur. What happened? This.
- Blur launched its first airdrop on February 14th. It airdropped over 300M $BLUR tokens.
- The community was very hyped due to the increased liquidity and free money.
- Blur then launched a war by enforcing full royalties on OpenSea.
- OpenSea then drops fees to 0% and moves to optional creator earnings.
- Blur announces that Season 2 airdrop will be coming soon. How do you be part of it? Get Blur loyalty points.
What did this all lead to? Greed. Collectors started bidding below floor prices, fake listing, relisting fake projects, etc. And, it even encouraged wash trading. The space shifted its focus from art to just money. The thing is, they’re not stopping.
One wants to diminish the other. Who’s really at loss here? Creators and collectors.
What Do You Think?
The dark side of web3 is dark and illegal in parts. But, we all draw our lines differently. Some might say this is freedom, let them enjoy it. When others might say, this should not be allowed. I will not be putting words into your mouth. Let me know what you think. What’s your take on it? Anyway, let me leave you on a good note. Lighten up with our meme trivia. Enjoy!