Becoming Web3 Native Pt 5: NFTs- More Than Just Art

Yes, we’ve all seen the hype around $1M+ profile pictures, but NFTs are so much bigger than just digital collectibles. They’re keys, tickets, memberships, and assets—part of a new way to own things online.

Today, we’re breaking down what NFTs really are, how they work, and how you can actually use them.

What is an NFT?

An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is a digital asset that proves ownership of something unique—whether that’s a piece of art, a concert ticket, a membership, or even real-world property.

The key difference between an NFT and a regular digital file is ownership & scarcity:
✔️ You can verify its authenticity—no fakes, no copies.
✔️ You can buy, sell, or transfer it—just like real-world assets.
✔️ You can earn from it—creators can set royalties and make money on resales.

Think of an NFT as a digital certificate of ownership, recorded on a blockchain.

The key takeaway is the idea of a unique asset with verified authenticity.

What Are NFTs Used For? (Beyond Profile Pics)

NFTs are shifting digital ownership in ways most people don’t realize. Here are some real-world use cases already happening:

1. NFT Tickets & Event Access

Right now, if you buy a concert ticket on Ticketmaster and can’t attend, reselling it can be a pain. Scalpers mark up prices, fraud is rampant, and platforms take a cut of every resale. NFT-based tickets solve all of these problems by putting ticket ownership on-chain.

With an NFT ticket, you:
✔️ Prove authenticity—no fakes, because the ticket is verified on the blockchain.
✔️ Easily resell without fraud—transactions happen directly and securely.
✔️ Let artists & organizers earn royalties on resale—no more scalper profits.

👉 In the future, expect movie tickets, airline boarding passes, and even sports season passes to move toward NFTs. It’s simply a better system for ticketing.

➡️ Why it matters: No scalping, no fakes, and resale profits can go back to the original seller.

2. Memberships & Exclusive Content

We’re used to subscription models—paying monthly for access to premium content on platforms like Patreon, Substack, and YouTube. But what happens when you stop paying? You lose access immediately.

NFTs flip this model by letting you own your membership instead of renting it. If you don’t need it anymore, you can sell it to someone else instead of losing all the money you’ve already paid.

Example: Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFTs aren’t just collectibles—they’re membership passes to exclusive events, merch drops, and even IRL (real life) parties with celebrities.

Web3 communities like Friends With Benefits (FWB) use NFTs as a social membership—own one, and you get access to exclusive online and in-person events. Instead of paying a subscription fee each month, members own their pass, which they can sell later if they no longer need it.

👉 Expect workshops, online courses, and premium content creators to start using NFT-based access instead of traditional subscriptions.

➡️ Why it matters: Instead of paying a subscription, you can own a membership—and even resell it.

3. Gaming & Virtual Goods

Gamers spend billions on in-game items like skins, weapons, and character upgrades—but they don’t actually own them. If a game shuts down, those assets are gone forever. Web3 gaming changes this by making in-game items NFTs that players truly own, trade, and sell.

Why does this matter?
✔️ Instead of "renting" digital goods inside a game, you own them.
✔️ You can sell your in-game assets on open markets.
✔️ Items can be used across multiple games in the future (interoperability).

Example: Axie Infinity, one of the first big Web3 games, lets players own and trade digital pets that are NFTs. Some players in the Philippines made a full-time income just by breeding and selling Axies.

Games like Parallel, Illuvium, and Gods Unchained allow players to buy, sell, and trade in-game items freely—a radical shift from Web2 gaming, where items are locked inside corporate-owned servers.

👉 The gaming industry is embracing NFTs, and major studios like Ubisoft and Square Enix are already experimenting with blockchain-based economies.

Other examples include:

• Skins, Avatars & Digital Collectibles → Instead of renting items in Fortnite, players truly own them.

• Virtual Real Estate → Platforms like Decentraland and The Sandbox allow users to buy land as NFTs.

➡️ Why it matters: Digital ownership means players—not game companies—control their assets.

4. Creator Royalties & Monetization

In Web2, creators rarely get paid what they deserve. Platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Kindle take huge cuts of revenue, leaving artists, writers, and musicians with scraps.

NFTs change this by giving creators:
✔️ Direct sales to their audience (no middlemen).
✔️ Automatic royalties on resales (paid every time the NFT is resold).
✔️ More control over their work (no algorithmic throttling).

Example: Beeple, a digital artist, sold his NFT art for $69M—without a gallery taking a massive commission. Musicians like 3LAU and RAC use NFTs to sell music directly to fans, where listeners can even own a percentage of streaming royalties.

Writers are also entering Web3 with new creator-focused platforms. On Mirror authors can mint their articles as NFTs, allowing readers to "collect" them in exchange for small payments. Instead of relying on Substack’s algorithm, authors own their publishing and income streams.

👉 In the future, books, music, and even photography rights could be managed through NFTs, giving creators more power over their earnings.

• Artists & Musicians → Sell work as NFTs and get paid automatically every time it resells.

• Authors & Writers → Publish books or articles as NFTs on platforms like Mirror.

• Filmmakers → Fund movies through NFT ownership (Example: Stoner Cats).

➡️ Why it matters: No middlemen. Creators get fair payment and ongoing royalties.

5. Real-World Ownership (Property, IDs, & More)

While NFTs started with digital assets, they’re now bridging into real-world ownership.

✔️ Real estate transactions: Homes have already been sold as NFTs, allowing buyers to skip paperwork and close deals instantly.

• In 2022, A home in Florida was sold as an NFT for 210 ETH (~$650,000). The buyer received an NFT deed, which represented ownership of the property, cutting out weeks of traditional paperwork.

• Some companies are also working on fractionalized real estate NFTs, where people can buy a share of a property (like timeshares, but tokenized).

✔️ Luxury goods authentication: High-end brands like Louis Vuitton and Prada are testing NFTs to verify real vs. fake products.
✔️ Legal & identity verification: Some governments are exploring NFT-based passports and licenses to reduce fraud.

👉 Expect land titles, car registrations, and even voting systems to move toward NFT-based ownership in the future.

➡️ Why it matters: NFTs can store legal ownership records, reducing fraud and paperwork.

How to Buy, Sell, and Use NFTs

So how do you actually get started with NFTs? Here’s a step-by-step guide to buying (or minting) your first NFT.

🛒 Step 1: Choose a Marketplace

The biggest NFT marketplaces are:
✔️ OpenSea (Most popular, Ethereum-based)
✔️ Blur (For traders, higher liquidity)
✔️ Zora (For artists & creators, no gas fees)
✔️ Magic Eden (Solana NFTs, lower costs)

💰 Step 2: Fund Your Wallet

• Most NFTs require ETH (Ethereum) or SOL (Solana).

• You can buy crypto on Coinbase, Kraken, or Binance and send it to your wallet.

• Pro tip: Some platforms now support credit card purchases for NFTs (e.g., Nifty Gateway).

• NOTE: Of course after reading last week’s edition you should already know how to set up your web3 wallet! 😉 

🔍 Step 3: Find an NFT You Like

• Look beyond hype. Choose something with real utility or community value.

• Check legitimacy. Verify the smart contract & creator (no scams!).

• Start small. You don’t need to spend thousands—many NFTs are under $50. Want to get a unique gift for someone? Buy them a NFT!

🛠️ Step 4: Mint or Buy the NFT

• Minting = Buying an NFT at launch (before it hits the market).

• Buying = Purchasing an NFT from another user on OpenSea or another marketplace.

Once purchased, the NFT is stored in your wallet (MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, Phantom). 🎉 Congrats! You now own a piece of digital property.

How to Stay Safe in NFTs

Like any new technology, there are risks. Avoid scams and mistakes by following these best practices:

⚠️ Watch out for fake collections. Always check the verified creator.
⚠️ Never share your seed phrase. This is your wallet’s private key—keep it secure.
⚠️ Use a hardware wallet. For high-value NFTs, store them offline with a Ledger or Trezor.
⚠️ Don’t buy hype projects. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

TL;DR: Why NFTs Matter

A quick recap:

✔️ NFTs = Digital ownership. You own digital items instead of renting them.
✔️ More than just art. They power tickets, memberships, games, and real-world assets.
✔️ Creator-friendly. Artists, musicians, and builders can monetize their work directly.
✔️ Decentralized & transparent. No middlemen. Everything is on-chain.

You don’t have to be an NFT trader to see their value—just start exploring what’s possible.

🚀 Action Step: Try One NFT Use Case This Week

Pick one:
✅ Claim a free NFT (search "free mint NFT" on Twitter)
✅ Join a token-gated Discord (FWB, Forefront)
✅ Buy a cheap NFT and explore the experience
✅ Try a music, gaming, or ticketing NFT

The goal? Get hands-on with NFTs—because Web3 makes way more sense when you actually use it.

💬 What’s Your Take?

Have you used NFTs for something beyond art? Hit reply and tell us—we might feature your story next week!

Do you want to learn even more about NFTs? See our deep dive article!

Other parts of this edition:

• Part 1: Web3 Wallets- Your Passport to Web3

• Part 2: Learn By Doing: How to Use DeFi

• Part 3: Creating a Web3 Identity

Editorial: So You Wanna Be Web3 Native? Let's Go!

Case Study: How Sarah Went from Web3 Newbie to Web3 Native (and Why It Changed Her Life)

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