The Ethereum-based NFT has over €7 million in sales volume to date. He didn’t do it for the money. He did it to learn.
“I’ve been coding at home from a young age. I started at age 5,” said 13-year-old crypto sensation Benyamin Ahmed. He had just stepped off the main stage of the Non-Fungible Conference, Lisbon 2022 when I caught him for an interview.
Weird Whales
Benyamin’s speech explained how he analysed the NFT industry and created his own successful project titled "Weird Whales."
His presentation was the clearest and simplest explanation of the nascent blockchain industry I have seen. To be frank, I was blown away.
“Last year I got into NFTs to make my collections,” Benyamin said, “40 Minecraft NFTs but they didn’t sell.”
“Why the Weird Whales?” I asked.
“The project was inspired by Cryptopunks. I chose a whale because a whale in crypto is a very large holder. Weird came because it was an animal linked to the Cryptopunks. Weird Whales was born.”
“How did you learn all this stuff? How would other people learn?” I asked.
“I started asking for help on discord channels. There is always someone willing to help online in Discord.”
Clear instructions
Benyamin started giving advice to new NFT entrants on his Twitter page. People resonated with his clear instruction.
“What is your biggest challenge in explaining NFTs?” I said.
“People are always sceptical,” he said. “They don’t understand the importance of NFTs. This is just the very beginning. We waited hours in the customs line on my way here from England. I thought, ‘If Airline tickets were NFTs then it would be superfast to get through customs.’”
I have found the same barriers to explaining NFTs.
Maybe it is always this way with new technology? I remember someone grasping to explain the benefits of an iPhone to me. “Why would I want that?” I remember thinking.
NFTs are in the same boat. What do they bring that we don’t have?
A simple answer
The answer is simple.
“We use Non Fungible objects every day in the real world,” said Benyamin on the main stage.
“An airline ticket is a perfect example of an NFT. It is specific and unique. No one else can use the ticket unless the owner transfers the ownership.”
NFTs do the same sort of things in the digital world but to a much more secure level. Blockchain technology brings the one thing we need most in the modern world, digital trust.
Do you trust the news? Social media? Anything online? Why not?
I don’t trust most information sources because digital information is incredibly easy to create, manipulate, and share. It is infinitely copyable at close to the speed of light.
Watch how fast an internet meme circles the world.
The ability to freely make infinite copies and share them online is a double-edged sword. In 2022, it seems all digital information is suspect. Blockchain technology is about to spin that narrative on its head.
Inspiring
It was inspiring to see such knowledge, competence, and humility on display from the youngest generation. The future is bright and open-minded. We would be smart to listen! What do you think of NFTs?
Do you agree with the author that they bring in a new age of discovery? Or do you think they will be a fad and not live up to the hype? We love to hear from you at The Portugal News! Check out my YouTube channel titled "Chris Lehto."
