Let’s be real, the NFT space is a complete and utter wild west. One minute you're seeing digital art pieces sell for millions, the next you're watching your Bored Ape lose 99% of its value. It's a rollercoaster of hype, innovation, and, let's be honest, a whole lot of cringe. Still, corporations have made attempts to harness NFTs’ “cool” factor in the past. Which is often very painful to watch, like watching your father try to breakdance—well-meaning but sadly misguided. When I first heard that Osaka’s 2025 Expo would be using an Aptos-powered EXPO wallet, my reaction wasn’t one of excitement for a piece of innovation.

Corporate Co-option or True Innovation?

The EXPO2025 DIGITAL WALLET, migrating to the Aptos Layer-1 blockchain, promises a seamless experience for managing digital assets at the Expo. Okay, promises. It's all about speed, security, and user-friendliness, powered by Aptos' fancy tech and Move programming language. It has MYAKU-PE! for payments, MYAKU-PO! for rewards, and MYAKU-N! for NFTs. No, but really, their marketing team really stepped up to make “MYAKU” happen.

Are we really going to festivals to seamlessly manage digital assets? And a city full of artistic expression, musical genius, and human connection. Are we talking about enriching the cultural experience, or monetizing it? It calls to mind the digital banks’ father using internet memes in their advertisements. I don’t know, guys, this isn’t cutting it. Like, I admire the attempt to be relatable, but this comes across as just…wrong. As if they’re just trying a little too hard to be hip.

Even Aptos is quirking its little thumbs about the 558,000 transactions and 133,000 new accounts created since their January network migration. Cool numbers, sure. But what do they mean? Are these perceived real users actually participating in the NFT ecosystem in earnest? Or just passing visitors who return home after obtaining a commemorative NFT? It's the digital equivalent of buying a cheap souvenir t-shirt that you'll wear once and then donate to Goodwill.

Meme-ify or Die-ify?

Let’s face it, NFTs are founded on the power of the meme. Think Doge, think Pepe. They embody a collective mythology, an ethnicity of an earworm. Can a corporate initiative, however well-designed, really hope to bottle that organic, countercultural chaos? Can it be meme-ified? Or will it end up being the target of memes ridiculing its corporate-ness instead.

This is the challenge. EXPO wallet is pushing an advertising campaign at key locations in Osaka, Japan, promoting the adoption of the EXPO2025 DIGITAL WALLET. Can you imagine the cringe?

Aptos Labs sees this as an opportunity to drive innovation on behalf of the Japanese market and the rest of the world. They discuss their highly strategic partnerships with HashPort and HashPalette. They're building a whole ecosystem. Ecosystems can be soulless if they’re not rooted in real culture.

  • Drake looking disapprovingly: "Authentic, community-driven NFT art"
  • Drake looking approvingly: "An EXPO2025 DIGITAL WALLET NFT"

I'm torn. On one hand, I see the potential. Aptos has maintained a Total Value Locked (TVL) close to USD 1 billion since Nov 2024. Bringing NFTs to a massive event like the Osaka Expo could expose millions to the technology and its possibilities. It could legitimize the space.

  • Woman yelling: "I want NFTs with REAL meaning and artistic value!"
  • Cat: "Limited edition EXPO2025 NFTs"

I am dreading this dilution of the artistic value. From authentic engagement to commercial interactions. Will the MYAKU-N! NFT platform simply be a new venue for the sale of costly digital baubles? Will it bring in deep users who really want to get into the tech, or just freebie seekers looking for a quick yield?

The Future: Seamless or Soulless?

So, I ask you: Is this the future of festival NFTs, or are we selling out? Will this dazzle the masses and bring them to NFTs, or repel them like Superman’s kryptonite with its corporate gloss? Share your thoughts. Let's debate. Let's meme-ify. Because the future of NFTs, for better or worse, is being created as we speak. And we all have a role to play in determining how that story plays out.

The truth is, I'm torn. On one hand, I see the potential. Aptos boasts a Total Value Locked (TVL) around USD 1 billion since November 2024. Bringing NFTs to a massive event like the Osaka Expo could expose millions to the technology and its possibilities. It could legitimize the space.

On the other hand, I fear a dilution of the artistic value. A shift from genuine expression to transactional experiences. Will the MYAKU-N! NFT platform just become a marketplace for overpriced digital trinkets? Will it attract users who are genuinely interested in the tech, or just those looking for a quick buck?

So, I ask you: Is this the future of festival NFTs, or are we selling out? Will this bring the masses to NFTs, or scare them away with its corporate sheen? Share your thoughts. Let's debate. Let's meme-ify. Because the future of NFTs, for better or worse, is being written right now. And we all have a stake in how that story unfolds.