NFT fatigue: the sun never sets on NFT

It has been almost a year since NFT crypto art gained popularity among the general public. Some of them may know NFT by being active in the crypto field before, others know it from news reports about NFT plagiarism of actual artworks, while some others are interested in it due to the widespread promotion of NFT as a source of fast money by several influencers.

Prior to NFT, galleries and other third parties played an important role in artwork transactions. We must visit a gallery or museum to be able to access and enjoy a work of art. The role of collectors is usually considered as exclusive, only possible to be carried out by a few classes of society.

The NFT community works fully in the digital world. It has attracted artists and collectors from all over the world. This unique crypto asset has succeeded in answering one of the great dreams of most artists, building a transparent and decentralised system of artwork transactions.

Each artist and collector can directly communicate to one another and carry out transactions. Every transaction is recorded on the blockchain. The NFT industry also opens the door for anyone to create and build networks, expanding accessibility in the world of art.

In the world of NFT, an artist doesn't just create art and let the NFT platform do the rest of the work. Once an artwork is uploaded, promotion takes place, mostly through social media. Twitter is the primary platform for the NFT community, along with Discord.

The sophistication of NFT's work is improving by the day. For example, all works that can be found at https://www.fxhash.xyz/ are based on coding, and known to be a generative art. Each work is unique from one another.

The rapid development of these trends and innovations seems to also have an unfavourable impact. Constant feelings of worry and anxiety are known to happen among the individuals in the NFT industry.

“Obviously, you must have tokens to start playing NFT. But other than that, the thing that you must have is a strong will and mental strength. Being an NFT artist is not just about creating digital works and uploading them, but we actually are investing ourselves in it,” said Weldy Rhadiska, founder of The Monday Art Club.

Rhadiska saw that the ease of access to communication among the NFT community often invites the feeling of doubt and lack of confidence as well as the habit of comparing successes to others. This kind of pressure arises from the need to constantly manage one’s social-media presence.

One of the mantras in Twitter NFT terminology, WAGMI (We All Gonna Make It), is a suggestion that fosters high expectations. This sort of expectation, which becomes the fuel to keep moving, has in fact contributed to the feeling of anxiety and pressure for some artists and collectors in the NFT industry. At least this is what has been acknowledged by Azizi Al Majid, a Bandung-based artist who has been active in the NFT industry since early 2021.

Azizi realised that NFT is indeed a great opportunity to develop his work, to become a medium for experimentation and networking. However, he sees that there are many people who think that playing NFT is a shortcut to make a quick profit.

In fact, according to him, building a career in the NFT world is no different than trying to build a career in other fields. There is a process that must be passed. Some of the ups and downs that we encountered from time to time, even failed attempts, are common.

NFT worlds keep spinning, it’s always a GM somewhere

The disappearance of physical and geographical boundaries and time restrictions in the digital world makes the NFT industry run relentlessly. As if any moment is the perfect time to tweet “GM”, which stands for “good morning” in Twitter NFT terminology. Every second is morning in another part of the world. Staying awake through the midnight until early morning is a common thing that happens almost everyday.

One cup of coffee a day increases to two. This is what happened to Rhadiska, although he is still unsure whether that happened due to other workloads or specifically because of the pressure and the feeling of digital fatigue since entering the NFT industry. But one thing is certain; both Rhadiska and Azizi agree that getting enough sleep feels very luxurious and rare since they started to enter the NFT industry.

The need to stay updated, encourage people in the industry to constantly stay online, switching back and forth between NFT platforms, Twitter and Discord.

The absence of holidays in the NFT world also contributes to this problem. Azizi even said that petitions are being made among the NFT community, encouraging NFT platforms to “close” on Sundays in order to create a time off.

The possibilities in the NFT realm are endless; trends can be created by anyone. Something that is still trendy today can be part of tomorrow's history. One hour in the NFT world could feel like a week in the real world. The NFT industry goes on and on, without anyone being able to stop it.

Maybe it’s just a FOMO (fear of missing out), surely it is FOMO

NFT artists should make promotional efforts through various platforms. Their job is not done just by uploading their works to NFT platforms. This often creates a sense of FOMO, fear of not making it to the right timing and not getting the latest update on NFT. This feeling often breeds fear and self-doubt and pushes oneself too hard.

This strong sense of FOMO is not only felt by artists, but also by collectors and other players in the NFT industry. Fatigue and FOMO were even felt by the content manager of NFTEvening.

“Admittedly, as NFTevening’s content manager, I’ve not taken a single day off in 6 months. My boss is practically shoving me out of the metaphorical door to have some rest. Apparently, I’m not the only one,” said James Conlon in one of his articles.

It’s time to take some care, take a good care of our mental health

Azizi and Rhadiska's story shows that they suffer symptoms of digital fatigue, a feeling of mental and physical exhaustion caused by the repeated and continuous use of digital media. This fatigue can lead to physical and mental health problems.

Virtual interactions surely are draining our mind. According to halosehat, if it goes on excessively and in a prolonged period, virtual interactions can interfere with brain function and cause one to become “hyperfocus”, a condition in which we lose track of everything that is happening around us. To a certain degree, this can overstimulate our brain.

“Since becoming active in the NFT industry, it seems like there is a challenge for me to not talk only about NFT. Sometimes I even get confused when talking to people who don't really get NFT; I really don't know how to carry on a conversation without it," said Azizi. This proves how the NFT occupies most of their minds.

The awareness to take some rest and prioritise it seems to be growing among the NFT community. They often remind each other to take time to rest, as a form of collective care. A graph featured at Henext showed that the activity on the platform on Saturdays and Sundays tends to be lower than other days.

Setting the pattern and pace of work is also important. The habit of comparing oneself with others should be avoided. Azizi and Rhadiska agree that it is important to remember that there is a different process for each individual.

"It's not good to always question your own capability, please be content with your own self!" said Rhadiska.