Happy Thanksgiving y’all.
First things first - I’m truly thankful for all of you. I read the names of every new Social Studies subscriber as they come in and each gives me more excitement and energy than the last. Thank you for your readership and enthusiasm for my passion.
Today I launched a Thanksgiving-themed social experiment called $THANKS on Product Hunt. It’s currently #4, but I think we can get to #1 if we really try.
Give it an upvote on Product Hunt… Thanks 🙏
🤔 What is $THANKS?
$THANKS is a cryptocurrency I minted a few weeks ago as part of an essay about Social Tokens with Holyn Kanake. It can only be earned by expressing gratitude on thankful.fyi, and has no monetary value (currently). People who hold $THANKS get access to a private Discord server and community for the nicest people on the internet.
It’s a real cryptocurrency and the product actually works, but this is a social experiment seeking to understand:
what happens when you (financially) reward good will?
will a community centered around love and kindness devolve (like most other communities) over time?
The community has been incredible already. Hundreds of people have shared what they’re thankful for anonymously through the website and more and more people are pouring into the Discord by the hour.
🤷♂️ Why?
The purpose of Social Studies is to explore what it means to be human in the context of modern technology. Over the last few months, I realized that research and writing is only half of the battle. In order to truly understand something, you must experience it.
☝️ One More Thing
This launch would not have been possible without the help of Chris Messina, a close friend and my go-to hunter, and Launch House.
Launch House is a community for founders launching incredible products. Applications are now open for the third cohort.
🙏 Thanks
Again, thank you so much for reading. Share what your thankful for on the website, mention you’re part of Social Studies and I’ll send some extra $THANKS your way.
- Brett