The blockchain landscape is shifting. The focus is moving away from merely competing on Total Value Locked (TVL) and building DeFi ecosystems. Instead, a new paradigm is emerging: the attention economy. In Web3, SocialFi and Meme cultures are the primary manifestations of this economy. Among the various players, TON, Solana, and Base have positioned themselves uniquely to harness this valuable resource.
This article explores how these three ecosystems are building their futures not just on financial speculation, but on capturing and monetizing user attention.
Understanding the Attention Economy
The transition from Ethereum's groundbreaking inception left the industry searching for its next growth phase. While much of 2024's discourse centered on modular infrastructure, less attention was paid to the applications and ecosystems that would drive mainstream adoption.
A significant hurdle has been that most Layer 2 solutions remain fixated on extracting value from the main chain through incentives and DeFi ecosystems, aiming to dominate TVL quickly. This has often resulted in faster, cheaper, but ultimately less innovative "Ethereum clones" that fail to offer a unique user experience.
In contrast, new ecosystems like TON, Solana, and Base are fostering genuine on-chain activity by embracing the attention economy. This concept aims to attract the maximum possible attention from users or consumers, cultivating a potential customer base for future commercial benefit. In this model, the most critical resource is neither traditional capital nor information itself, but public attention.
In the Web2 world, platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Google, and TikTok are classic examples. Users typically don't pay to use these services. Instead, the platforms monetize attention by selling targeted advertising, transforming user traffic into a multi-trillion dollar industry.
In Web3, SocialFi and Memes represent this same economy. The ultimate goal for many projects is to convert the public流量 of traditional Web2 social media into private, owned流量. The best Web3 non-financial applications don't need to reinvent the wheel; they can learn from and build upon what has already been proven effective in Web2.
The TON Ecosystem: Integration and Accessibility
Architectural Overview
TON (The Open Network) was originally designed to facilitate seamless payments and mini-program operations within Telegram, not to host traditional DeFi applications. This foundational difference explains its significantly lower TVL compared to other major blockchains. Its complex, multi-chain architecture is built for scale:
- Masterchain: The core chain that stores network configuration and the final state of all workchains.
- Workchains: Customizable blockchains optimized for specific transaction types or use cases.
- Shard Chains: Each workchain can be subdivided into a massive number of shard chains, enabling high concurrency.
- Dynamic Sharding: The network automatically splits or merges shards based on load to maintain optimal efficiency.
This structure is theoretically capable of handling millions of transactions per second for billions of users, providing the infrastructure for a vast array of applications. However, it also presents challenges in complexity and potential centralization.
The "Tap-to-Earn" Phenomenon
The success of Notcoin and its listing on major exchanges ignited a "Tap-to-Earn" mini-game frenzy within the TON ecosystem. From a流量 distribution perspective, this model has been extraordinarily successful. It represents a powerful onboarding tool, attracting new users with almost zero participation cost.
But is the "airdrop + mini-game" model sustainable? The lifecycle of a successful mini-game traditionally follows a path of addictive gameplay leading to user retention, which is then monetized through ads or in-app purchases. In Web3, replicating this is difficult. Many current projects suffer from homogenization, susceptibility to Sybil attacks ("airdrops farming"), and a lack of genuine user stickiness, often leading to a token's value collapsing upon distribution.
For users, however, moderate participation remains a low-risk gamble. The integration with Telegram provides an unparalleled user experience, making these games incredibly accessible. Major exchanges have shown strong interest in these projects due to their high user counts and relatively low market capitalizations, signaling a belief that this trend has staying power.
The Promise of Mini-Programs
Beyond games, mini-programs represent one of the most promising directions for Web3 mass adoption. Their potential is evident from their success on platforms like WeChat. On TON, they offer even greater reach and flexibility.
Imagine a small e-commerce platform looking to expand globally. Using traditional local social apps involves enormous promotion and time costs. On TON, the platform could use mini-programs to track task completion transparently and at a fraction of the cost, perfectly demonstrating blockchain's bottom-up advantages for global commerce.
The Ultimate Abstraction Layer
TON, through its deep integration with Telegram, has become one of Web3's most effective abstraction layers. Telegram Bots, which became famous during the Solana Meme Summer, allow users to snipe and trade tokens on major chains directly within the chat interface. This is more convenient and faster than using a web DEX.
This concept is powerful and extensible. It can be applied to introduce external DeFi ecosystems, launch链游 as mini-programs, and integrate task platforms. Many projects are exploring this, and decentralized implementations exist. In the near future, we might achieve true "chain-agnostic" interoperability within Telegram itself. For those looking to dive deeper into the tools enabling this seamless experience, you can explore more strategies here.
Solana's Approach: Blinks and Actions
Solana observed the immense potential of the attention economy during its Meme Summer and recognized the critical importance of lowering the user onboarding barrier. Blinks and Actions are designed to turn social media into Solana's "Layer 2."
The Technology: Actions and Blinks
- Solana Actions: These are standardized APIs that return transactions for the Solana blockchain. They can be previewed, signed, and sent from various contexts like QR codes, buttons, and websites. Essentially, they are pending transactions abstracted for easier use.
- Blockchain Links (Blinks): Blinks convert any Solana Action into a shareable, metadata-rich link (similar to an HTTP link). Supported wallets can interpret these links, turning any website or social media feed into a venue for initiating Solana transactions.
The primary goal is to "HTTP-ize" Solana's on-chain operations, embedding them directly into Web2 applications like Twitter.
Application Examples
The potential use cases for Blinks are vast:
- Sending red envelopes (gifts) on social media.
- Promoting memes directly through a shareable link.
- Conducting trades within private messages.
- Tipping content creators on their social media pages.
Security and Usability Challenges
While innovative, Blinks currently face significant hurdles. The user experience is not mobile-friendly, often requiring redirection to a detailed webpage to connect a wallet and sign a transaction. This tight integration with wallets also increases security risks. Would you confidently sign a transaction from a link posted by a stranger?
Compared to TON's native integration with Telegram, Blinks offer broader but less seamless distribution. Their security model relies heavily on wallet checks to mitigate risks, making them more of an experimental feature with significant issues to resolve before widespread adoption.
The Base Ecosystem: Building on Social Protocols
A Tokenless Ascent
Base, backed by Coinbase, has seen a remarkable rise similar to Solana's, bootstrapped by memes and thriving without a native token incentive. Its initial growth was fueled by friend.tech, and it now has a strong foundation in Farcaster. Coinbase has demonstrated a clear understanding of how to operate a blockchain network focused on organic growth.
The Power of Farcaster
Farcaster offers a different SocialFi solution. It is an open social protocol that allows developers to build various social applications, much like how email protocols support multiple clients. Its key feature is interoperability, designed to interact seamlessly with other blockchain networks.
Key Applications on Base
- Warpcast: The core application and first client on the Farcaster protocol. It functions like a traditional Web2 social app (similar to Twitter) but with a streamlined onboarding process. It automatically generates a wallet for users, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for non-crypto natives.
- Jam: A creator economy platform on Farcaster that allows users to turn each cast (tweet) into a tradable NFT asset, with its price determined by a bonding curve.
- Clubcast: An application that introduces Token-Gated content, where users must pay to purchase a creator's Club Tokens to unlock exclusive content.
The Model of No Model
Base aims to solidify its position through the various SocialFi applications enabled by Farcaster. Unlike TON and Blinks, which primarily attract users from Web2, Farcaster is a more traditional Web3 social protocol. Its applications are more tightly linked to "Fi," meaning they must first solve the problem of content pricing and economic model design.
The lesson from projects like friend.tech and Pump.fun is that the best economic model might be no predefined model at all. When something can be precisely calculated, its lifecycle and ceiling become limited. Allowing content and community value to emerge organically, without a forced bonding curve, may be the most sustainable path forward. To understand how to navigate these emerging models and find the best opportunities, get advanced methods here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the attention economy in Web3?
It's an economic model where the primary value driver is user attention rather than capital locked in protocols. In Web3, it's primarily manifested through SocialFi platforms and Meme culture, where projects compete for user engagement, which can then be monetized or used to bootstrap network effects.
How is TON different from other blockchains?
TON is fundamentally designed for integration with Telegram, focusing on payments and mini-programs rather than DeFi. Its architecture is built for massive scalability to handle Telegram's user base, and its primary advantage is seamless accessibility within a familiar messaging app.
Are Solana Blinks safe to use?
Currently, Blinks should be used with caution. They are an experimental feature. The main risks involve interacting with malicious links that could prompt you to sign harmful transactions. Always verify the source of a Blink and use wallet features that preview transaction details thoroughly before signing.
Does Base have its own token?
No, Base does not have a native gas token. It uses ETH for transaction fees. This decision simplifies the user experience and leverages the security and brand recognition of Ethereum.
What is the biggest challenge for SocialFi?
The biggest challenge is designing sustainable economic models that prevent extraction and collapse. Many early models, like bonding curves for social tokens, have proven vulnerable to rapid speculation and decline. The key is fostering genuine community and content value that isn't purely financial.
Which ecosystem is best for developers?
The best choice depends on your goals. TON offers unparalleled access to a massive, integrated user base on Telegram. Solana provides high throughput and a strong meme/retail culture. Base offers the backing of Coinbase and a growing suite of social building blocks via Farcaster. Developers should choose based on their target audience and application type.