Five million actions. That's the headline coming out of Galxe Starboard's first month. It sounds impressive, doesn't it? Like Web3 is finally hitting its stride. Before we start popping champagne, let's ask a crucial question: Is this sustainable? Or is it just another pop-up tent on the innovation highway powered by short-term incentives.

Incentives: Genuine Engagement or Gamification?

$5 million in rewards distributed. That’s a lot of cheddar to wave in front of unsuspecting users. And while I'm not knocking anyone for chasing a payday, I can't help but wonder how much of this activity is genuine interest versus pure, unadulterated gamification.

Think about it: how many people are truly passionate about the underlying technology of Sui, 0G, or Plume, and how many are just grinding for tokens? We’ve watched this story play out over and over again in the crypto space. Huge first wave of excitement, then in a torturous process the bubble collapses when all the easy, exciting-to-deploy rewards are used up and the community@crypto migrates.

It’s the digital equivalent of one of those “likes for likes” programs on Instagram. Sure, you can boost your vanity metrics, but are you really building an authentic community of advocates? Or are you just collecting your team of bots and mercenaries.

Are we creating the foundation for next generation sustainable communities, or simply laying down complicated new Rube Goldberg machines that get future profits pointed toward early adopters’ pockets.

Sui's Dominance A Red Flag?

Sui's campaign leading the charge on Starboard isn't necessarily a bad thing in itself. When a single project accounts for such a large share of the activity, it should be red-flagged. Removing this imbalance can ensure the overall health and diversification of the ecosystem.

Imagine a stock portfolio that’s 90% invested in one company. Great, that one company can indeed moon, but if it underperforms, you’re toast.

A healthy Web3 environment is one where there’s a constant rotation of new, innovative projects and communities. Together, all three, indispensable partners in powering our economy, nurturing talent and catalyzing creativity. If Starboard comes to be known as “Sui,” it could potentially turn into a monoculture, leaving it susceptible to the changes of a one & done project.

Was this just organic growth, or did Sui just have the largest marketing budget and most well-designed incentive structures in place? The answer matters.

Governance: Who's Really in Charge?

Here’s where things start to become really fascinating, and where I believe we need to begin pushing for some much harsher questions. Who gets to write the narrative on platforms such as Starboard? Who selects the model projects to be highlighted and how are the winnings allocated among them?

We should be careful and ensure that these platforms are really decentralized. They should be community-governed, this is the key point, and not just centralized organizations in disguise as centralizing DAOs. Allowing a small group of insiders to continue to control the platform would be a grave threat. If it’s mishandled, it may become another way to cash grab users rather than advance their empowerment goals.

It's like the old saying goes: "If you're not paying for the product, you are the product." Are we really benefiting from new platforms such as Starboard? Or are we just providing the feedstock—our data and engagement—that powers their expansion?

Galxe is natively created on Gravity, Galxe’s ultra high-performance Layer 1 blockchain. This is all wonderful but it simply does not go far enough!

Transparency is key. We need clear and auditable governance models. These models need to create a balance between the platform’s interests and the community’s interests.

If any of these questions can be answered “no,” then it’s time to ask the hard questions.

  • Is the governance process transparent and accessible to all users?
  • Are there mechanisms in place to prevent manipulation and abuse?
  • Are the rewards distributed fairly and equitably?
  • Does the platform prioritize long-term sustainability over short-term gains?

I’m not claiming that Galxe Starboard, as an idea, is a bad thing. Indeed, the platform’s potential to deliver data-informed, bird’s-eye-future-seeing insights and unearth long-term repeat supporters is truly exciting. We need to be optimistic about these new technologies, but we need to bring our skepticism. Let’s not just celebrate this openness to change the status quo.

The future of Web3 depends on it. We need to be shooting for awe and wonder and delight not just immediate returns on investment.

The future of Web3 depends on it. We should aim for awe and wonder instead of short term profits.