The topic of NFTs has become quite polarized in recent years. Some see it as the future of art, while others seem to stick to the idea that NFTs are terrible.
Artists, especially those who are immersive in digital culture, are in the midst of not knowing whether they will join the trend or risk losing profits and the future.
So I went to Twitter and contacted a Malaysian digital artist who seems to have decided about NFT. Their verdict? They are not good.
NFT’s first (non-) impression
Artist Shanice I first heard about NFTs a year ago when I realized that a major artist was building a network. At the time, they didn’t understand much of it, just that people were jumping on the trend for high-earning returns.
“Then, the more I read about it, the more I learned about the plagiarism and environmental impact it had,” they said.
Needless to say, Shanice is currently an anti-NFT and says he will never participate.
“Personally, I think it’s a big hoax that people have a hard time understanding and people have a hard time talking about,” opened freelance artist M.KHT. Malicious stink. “
Most artists haven’t read more about this subject because of the bad impression of the NFT scene.
“Honestly, I didn’t read it much and relied primarily on Twitter to get information,” another artist said. Seniwen,Admitted. “But for those who aren’t willing to look away, it’s clear that NFTs are terrible for the environment and run out of too much material to be essentially a zero-sum game.”
Of course, social media is notorious for its ability to lock people into echo chambers. Twitter also has a network of artists who say they don’t.
However, for M.KHT, barriers to entry with an understanding of NFTs are part of the problem. This means that artists may be used.
Environmental harm and theft of art
One of the biggest problems artists face with NFTs is the environmental impact of blockchain technology.
“I personally witnessed an apartment rented just to mine Bitcoin and robbed people in need of more real estate,” M.KHT said.
However, improvements are being made on the front lines to limit NFT carbon dioxide emissions, as explained in the article on the climate controversy surrounding NFTs. One such advancement is found in the proof-of-stake protocol rather than the typical energy-intensive proof-of-work protocol.
Still, explaining a lot does not seem to change the minds of many. In fact, M.KHT believes that the defenses taken to use NFTs often explain things in a “complex” way. She also believes that even if the Proof of Stakes result in a more environmentally friendly NFT, that energy can be used to do other things.
Another Malaysian artist by the name of Tama He agreed that even if there were more energy-efficient types of NFTs, they would still be a net plus in terms of environmental damage.
“Even if an NFT doesn’t produce carbon dioxide emissions, it’s at best a mud scheme, making the rich richer and more vulnerable to losing money,” Ceniwen added.
In addition to the possible environmental harm, these artists are also aware of the problem of art theft.
“Anyone can upload anything and steal art from anyone and put it on the NFT list site,” Tama pointed out.
Shanice raised the same plagiarism issue, stating that the NFT only encouraged the terrible behavior of art theft, which was rude to the original artist.
Another comprehensive issue that M.KHT has noticed in the NFT industry is uneducated investors. From her point of view, she thinks that many investors trying to immerse themselves in the unregulated scene of NFTs are not dealing with artists well.
She said that many NFT investors are unfamiliar with the arts industry and will make lucrative offers to desperate artists who are struggling to get along. These artists can be exploited for underpayment and lack of ownership of their work.
Hostility within the community
There is some tension in the art community, even though we are trying to understand the other side of the story because of the disagreements about NFTs.
“I know many artists who would have stopped art without NFTs because the truth is being told. It’s difficult to make a living from art,” Ceniwen pointed out. “Obviously, there are many famous artists who can live without NFTs, but because of greed or simple ignorance.”
She continued. “But when choosing to pay rent or choose the suspicious moral of being involved in an NFT, many people don’t. I wish NFT was a magical solution for the struggling artist. I think, but it’s not. “
M.KHT also agreed that art is a difficult career. As such, she does not blame NFTs or artists who have to work with companies that support NFTs.
“I don’t think that’s right, but there are some morally bad things that artists struggling with in this era can do,” she said.
However, M.KHT also recognized that the topic of NFTs moved wedges within the art community and created a lot of tension between NFT supporters and opponents.
“I have the privilege of being a freelance artist to follow my path,” M.KHT began. “Personally, from my point of view, there is no benefit to being an NFT artist than being a regular artist who finds work in the real world.”
She went on to explain: “The NFT market is a system where you have to invest thousands of dollars just to enter. Unless you’re a well-established artist, you’ll run into a world of disappointment.”
M.KHT spends hundreds or thousands to create your job if you don’t have customers in your job, and bluffs other deceptive souls to buy NFTs and make a small profit. I believe it doesn’t make sense to do it.
“Doesn’t it sound like a mouse lecture?” She wondered.
She further stated that the established NFT artists who claim to make millions in each transaction are not artists, but scammers. In her view, even if an artist can make millions of dollars, the hoop they have to experience to make that money is “borderline money laundering.”
Perhaps it’s all these factors that Shanice said, “I can’t afford to see other artists continue to create, create, and support NFT artwork.”
The future of art
However, despite all the debate against NFTs, some artists such as M.KHT and Tama must admit that NFTs may inevitably be the future of art. Hmm.
“I think an improved and regulated version of the current system, like many new technologies and ideas that have become standard, will eventually become the norm,” explained M.KHT.
However, her overall outlook for the future of art is still quite bleak.
“When it comes to art, it always comes down to employability. Artists looking for a job need to succumb to investors and employers. Unfortunately, they are used as long as they need it.”
If so, I wonder why Malaysia’s lack of appreciation for art continues and whether it can have better autonomy for what artists want to do if things turn around. I think you only know the time.
- Read the other articles I wrote about NFTs here.
Featured Image Credits: Ceniwen / M.KHT / Tama / Shanice
