Kylie Jenner allegedly asked @WillyTheDegen to buy one of his BAYC NFTs in private, according to Twitter user @WillyTheDegen. After he allegedly blocked her to demonstrate his views around the NFT culture, a debate erupted in the community.
Twitter users exchanged opposing viewpoints on the occurrence. Many people think the screenshots are phony, but the debate over the scenario—whether hypothetical or not—showed the diversity of ideas spread throughout the NFT community.
Words like “culture” and “movement” are commonly used to describe the primary focus of the NFT environment, with various interpretations of what it all means. Language, technology, art, money, and value are all intertwined in an overview of what the world’s future crypto spaces should strive for.
Those who believe the NFT movement should not be left in the hands of “the likes of Kylie Jenner” are divided, as are those who think this was unpolite and a waste of potential for the project’s price to rise and the NFT community to flourish.
Beyond the validity of the tweet, if we see it as a hypothetical scenario in which people share their visions for how NFT should expand, the event begins to resemble a sum of the ecosystem’s values: Is it becoming elite? Is it a safeguard for decentralization? It reminds us of artistic manifestos from the past when the hunt governed art for meaning.
Following Arthur Danto’s call for “the end of art,” NFTs have established a significant milestone by providing a counterweight to the art sector, which has previously been exclusive and centered on the wealthy.
As the blockchain becomes more widely known, people’s interest in art and technology is piqued. Without people, art is nothing, and now art reaches them regardless of color, gender, or background.
Sofia Garcia, the founder of Artxcode, made an interesting comment regarding the NFT atmosphere on Forbes a while back:
“NFTs enable everyone to see how much collectors pay for their artwork and let the market choose rather than allow art dealers to leave artists in the dust. There is a change in the guard in who is able to collect high quality works.“
So, how would different members of the community react if Kylie Jenner expressed interest in an NFT?
Supporters of Willy’s Move: Protect the Value, Block Kylie Jenner
Some may recall Snapchat’s market value plummeting by $1.3 billion when Kylie Jenner announced she had deactivated the app on Twitter. The conclusion was not intended, and it exposes the influencer’s power as a foolish path that may easily infuse fragility into a growing initiative.
As a result, many people are concerned about her ability to cause prices to spike and then plummet in an unexpected circumstance. What if the phrase “came for the flicks, stayed for the art” became “came for the trend, sank the art”?
Willy’s comment, though, appears to be focused on not allowing celebrities to achieve what they want. Instead, he sees NFTs as a “movement” and portrays himself as more concerned with the ecosystem’s “real purpose” than revenues.
As NFTs increase in popularity, some supporters do not want their growth to be in the hands of individuals who are just interested in it for a short time or who are only interested in making money.
The Willy Movement Haters: Help The Market
Many others believe that Kylie Jenner’s gatekeeping is detrimental to the BAYC initiative. Some see it as a business opportunity, but others see it as unpolite behavior, stating that rudeness is what genuinely harms the reputation of a developing industry, especially now that crypto is in the process of becoming more approachable.
The move was dubbed “clout” and a tantrum by users.
Even if we consider the event to be anything akin to a manifesto, it lacks clarity and ethics. Should celebrities be disparaged in the NFT area, which is supposed to be inclusive and unconcerned about demography, race, gender, and other factors? Should it rather be a celebration of denigration?