Start Building Your Digital Identity

Digital identity refers to the online representation of an individual, organization, or thing that is used to identify and authenticate them on the internet. In the context of web3, digital identity can include various elements such as ENS domain names, social media profiles, profile pictures (PFP) and avatars.

All these elements help in creating a digital identity which is becoming increasingly important in today’s world, as more and more interactions and transactions are taking place online.

Set up Twitter

Social media profiles are also an important aspect of digital identity, as they allow users to represent themselves online and connect with others. They can include information such as personal details, interests, and photos.

ENS Domain

ENS (Ethereum Name Service) is a decentralized naming system built on the Ethereum blockchain that allows users to register human-readable domain names (e.g. "yourname.eth") that are associated with their Ethereum addresses. This makes it easier for users to remember and share their Ethereum addresses.

web3 Domains

Ethereum crypto wallets have become increasingly popular in recent years, but one of the biggest challenges associated with them is the unique alpha-numeric address that is assigned to each wallet. These addresses can be quite long and difficult to remember, which is why many people refer to the first or last few digits when discussing the activity of a particular address.

One solution to this problem is to acquire a web3 domain, such as an ENS domain. These domains have become increasingly popular as they allow for simpler transactions between addresses, but they also serve another purpose: personal branding. Today, if you own your own web3 domain, it is a sign that you take web3 seriously and are part of the community.

However, it looks like web3 domains will have even more utility in the future. They have the capability to hold more meta data about a user, such as a profile picture. This is especially useful as more web3 websites are using wallets as a form of login instead of traditional username and password. While most websites currently only support the name and image for web3 domains, it’s possible to include much more data with each domain name.

Good to know/Additional resources:
Add a Background Image to your ENS NFT

Set Your Profile Picture

Profile pictures (PFP) and avatars are also important elements of digital identity, as they provide a visual representation of an individual or organization. They are commonly used on social media, forums, and other online platforms.

What are PFP NFTs?

Profile pictures have been a staple of social media since its inception. Initially, people used their real-life photos as their profile picture to make it easy for friends to find and recognize them among the masses of other users. However, with the rise of anonymous users on the internet, especially on Twitter, people started to use alternative identities they had created for themselves.

Twitter, unlike Google and Facebook, accepted alternative forms of profile pictures, such as cartoons. With the rise of NFTs in 2020, an interesting dynamic emerged in the NFT community as they sought actual use cases for NFTs. They found one in the form of dynamically generated profile pictures with various traits set in the meta data of each NFT. Each trait only occured a limited number of times within each collection. Images that had rare traits were worth more, a lot more. People started to collect them.

As each collection was limited, certain collections started to trade higher and higher, resulting in users using these images as their profile pictures on Twitter as a status symbol. These were early 2D avatars. The more expensive your PFP was, the more respected or accepted you were in the NFT community. Some people even spent upwards of a million USD for a crypto punk PFP or thousands of USD on Bored Ape PFPs.

It remains to be seen what role PFPs will have in the future of the metaverse as 3D full body avatars become more important. But one thing is for sure, PFPs have already proven to be a valuable and collectible asset in the digital world.

3D Avatar

Your YOU for the Metaverse

Exploring the Landscape of Avatar Systems in the Metaverse

The metaverse is a rapidly growing space, with new platforms popping up all the time. One of the key components of any metaverse platform is the avatar system. Unfortunately, there is currently no standard for avatars across the different metaverse platforms.

Decentraland, for example, has its own proprietary avatar system that allows users to switch clothing items on their avatars. Other platforms, like Hyperfy, are starting to adopt the VRM avatar format as they build with interoperability in mind. This means that users will be able to use the same avatar across multiple platforms, making the metaverse a more seamless experience.

Other systems, like Ready Player Me, are taking a different approach. They allow users to create their own avatars from a selection of options and export them as a .GLB file. This means that users can create their own unique avatars and use them on any platform that supports the .GLB file format. Alternatively, they can load their avatars directly into platforms that are partners with Ready Player Me.

It remains to be seen which avatar system will eventually prevail in the metaverse ecosystem. Will one system become the standard for all platforms, or will the metaverse continue down the path of having separate avatar systems with some sort of link between them for various platforms? Only time will tell. But what is certain is that as the metaverse continues to grow, the issue of avatar interoperability will become increasingly important, as it will play a critical role in making the metaverse a seamless and enjoyable experience for all users.