Social media has become part of our daily lives, and we do so much online in just one minute, with platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube dominating content consumption. These platforms, while shaping the digital landscape, also control monetization and distribution. As a result, the value generated from viral content rarely trickles down to all contributors, leaving original creators under-compensated.
With cryptomedia we have the opportunity to rethink this dynamic, enabling a fairer distribution of value across the entire content chain.
Content reactions
A lot of what we see now are reaction videos, a type of user-generated content where people record themselves responding to someone else’s work. These videos drive engagement and help profiles grow, capitalizing on the content, but the original creators don’t see any profits. It’s like everyone’s having fun at a party, but the ones who organized it don’t get any credit.
Users enjoy watching this derivative content, and for creators, it's a win-win. They generate significant engagement and revenue. Take Khaby Lame, for example. He became incredibly popular by reacting to other people’s videos, but the original creators don’t usually benefit from his success.
What if the value could be split between participants? It could be based on views, likes, comments, or any metric, but at the very least, the original creator would receive a share of the revenue whenever their content is remixed and goes viral.
This extends beyond just reaction videos - consider music, for example. Many hits remix vocals from various videos and the original singers should receive a share of every monetized reaction. Automated royalty payments to the original creators would ensure a fairer distribution of value. This is something that can be explored within our interactions with cryptomedia.
Onchain interactions
Cryptomedia composability enables the creation, sharing, and interaction with digital content in ways that fairly distribute value and ownership among all contributors. Unlike traditional social media platforms, where content is siloed and monetization is centralized, cryptomedia interactions can ensure fair compensation for everyone involved.
In an onchain social environment, every interaction - whether a mint, share, or reaction - can be tracked and monetized, automatically directing a portion of the revenue to the original creators. This creates a more equitable system where all participants are rewarded for their contributions, with transparent and immutable records on the chain showing who contributed and how much they were compensated.
Creators can build content legos, remixing content in multiple ways while preserving the rights of the original creator. Platforms can then implement solutions like splits for any interaction with cryptomedia. Just as fees are split between participants in a song release, we can add another layer to ensure that everyone contributing value to the original content is rewarded. For example, if a video on Drakula uses a song created on Sound, part of the revenue must be distributed to the song’s creator.
These aren’t just concepts - platforms like Zora and Rodeo are already exploring them, though they're still in the early stages of experimenting with onchain pictures: if you mint something I previously minted, I earn part of the revenue. While currently focused on minting, the concept could expand to include reactions and other forms of engagement, ensuring that royalties are distributed downstream to all participants.
Conclusion
Cryptomedia interactions will trigger financial transactions that benefit all participants. Media can be purchased, content can be earned from, and interactions can be monetized. These interactions won’t just provide influencers with dopamine hits - they will hold value, shared among everyone participating along the content chain.