Twitter Showcases Upcoming NFT Profile Image Display Options

Following up on last month's initial preview of its upcoming NFT display option, Twitter has now revealed further details about its in-development NFT showcase procedure, which will eventually allow Twitter users to post their NFTs with a direct link to their ownership status.

The new Twitter NFT display process will enable users to connect their NFT details into their image feed, which will then let profile visitors look up the info on any NFT that you use, providing direct assurance of ownership and leaning into the rising NFT movement, as shown in this example posted by Twitter engineer Ethan Sutin. Which, perplexingly, is on the rise, with people 'spending' thousands, if not millions, of dollars on still drawings that don't appear to be art in the usual sense.

In all honesty and candor, I'm not sure what the NFT is all about. I get the notion and the opportunities they can provide for digital artists, as well as the rise of art investment, which might be a lifeline for many creatives wishing to devote more time to their craft. But it hurts my head a little when I discover that a cartoon monkey image sold for the equivalent of $3.4 million.

This is a rare NFT from the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection - unusual since the ape is gold, and there aren't many of them. But, after all, it's just a photograph, right? And, from a craft standpoint, it's not a very good one. That's not to discredit the artists involved, but when you consider what is traditionally considered fine art and the meticulous brushstrokes and techniques used to create those timeless images - the sheer time and effort involved in painting, say, the Mona Lisa or Monet's waterlilies - it's easy to see why. This hand-drawn illustration falls short in contrast, right?

Of course, art is subjective, and whether or not an individual appreciates a piece is irrelevant; as long as someone, or someones, is prepared to pay for it, the value is determined by the market. However, I believe that the majority of these NFT images are no better than what a teenager may scribble on their notepad when bored in class. Perhaps it is part of the appeal, but I find it difficult to believe that these artworks will be highly valued in ten or twenty years, which makes the 'investment' aspect doubtful in my eyes.

Another component that can be perplexing is NFT ownership — how do you 'own' a digital art creation that anyone can re-use or re-share with limited legal repercussions?

You have the actual piece, the canvas that the artist touched and worked on, and there is only one in existence for paintings and physical art. However, because there is no physical duplicate of digital art, the difference between you 'owning' this piece and me, for example, owning a fake is negligible; there is no difference in what the artwork is (though depending on the purchase agreement, the owner may be able to stop re-productions). That's one issue that Twitter's new NFT display may help with: by displaying all of the specifics of each NFT, users would be able to display only art that they officially own or art that was completely transparent if they didn't. This is likely the most essential aspect of this new project, as it has the potential to ensure that artists are compensated for their work and its use by exposing those attempting to fake it for NFT community cred.

This is a true occurrence. As more profile photographs transform to cartoonish renderings, of various sorts, the NFT movement is progressively taking over social media, and platforms should look into how they can best promote such, and fuel additional interaction to lean into the next big creative change. Which NFTs are without a doubt, regardless of whether I get them or not. Southeby's, a well-known art house, has already made NFTs a priority, and as more collectors join the NFT community, the movement continues to develop, with the potential to become much, much larger as we move into the metaverse.

As a result, Twitter's new NFT project makes sense – even though I'll never understand why people spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for photos like Gary Vaynerchuck's hand-drawn parrot.