Web3 pioneer Alex Masmej has sparked discussion within the digital asset community with a recent tweet suggesting a fundamental shift in the decentralized internet by 2025. Masmej, known for his early experiments in tokenizing himself, posited that the focus would move from financial asset control to digital identity ownership, stating, > "2008: not your keys, not your coin 2025: not your coin, not your profile." This statement underscores a growing emphasis on decentralized identity (DID) as a core tenet of the evolving Web3 landscape.
Masmej first gained prominence in 2020 by issuing the $ALEX token, effectively tokenizing a portion of his future income and allowing token holders to vote on his life decisions. This innovative approach highlighted the potential for personal tokens and laid groundwork for concepts of digital self-ownership. His subsequent work as co-founder and CEO of Showtime, a Web3 social network focused on NFTs, further solidified his position at the intersection of social media and decentralized technologies.
The adage "not your keys, not your coin" has long been a cornerstone of cryptocurrency, advocating for self-custody of digital assets to prevent loss or seizure by centralized entities. Masmej's extension of this principle to "not your coin, not your profile" suggests that by 2025, true ownership and control over one's digital identity and online presence will become as critical as financial autonomy. This paradigm shift implies that users will manage their online personas, reputations, and data without reliance on centralized platforms.
Decentralized Identity (DID) systems, built on blockchain technology, empower individuals with self-sovereign control over their digital credentials and personal data. Unlike traditional Web2 models where platforms own user data, DID allows users to selectively share verified information and manage their online interactions across various services. This approach promises enhanced privacy, security, and censorship resistance, addressing long-standing concerns about data breaches and platform control.
The implications for social media and online communities are profound. In a Web3 future, digital profiles could be directly tied to verifiable on-chain credentials, enabling users to port their reputation and data seamlessly between platforms. This fosters true interoperability and reduces the power of single entities to dictate terms of engagement or deplatform users. The transition, however, will require overcoming challenges related to usability, widespread adoption, and regulatory clarity to fully realize the vision of a user-owned internet.