Interpreting Solana Blink: One-click on-chain operations embedded in social media, is the end of going viral all about socialization?
Solana Blink converts any on-chain operation into a shareable link that can be embedded in any social media and website.Author: Shenchao TechFlow
How to describe Solana?
Reborn from the ruins of FTX, a gathering place for golden dogs, cheap and easy to use… These asset-related labels clearly do not fully capture Solana's ambitions.
It builds chains, makes phones, and now even wants to venture into social media.
Yesterday, Solana officially announced another new product (or technology stack) --- Solana Blink, which converts any on-chain operation into a shareable link that can be embedded in any social media and website.
From the name, Blink is actually an abbreviation for Blockchain Links, referring to the aforementioned shareable links; but abbreviated to Blink (meaning "to blink") is a clever play on words:
On-chain operations, achieved in the blink of an eye.
Just one link to embed on-chain activities into social media, doesn't it feel a bit like Farcaster?
It feels similar, but not exactly the same.
On-chain Activity = A Link
From the public content, Solana's Blink differs from Farcaster's Warpcast application mainly in its indiscriminate adaptation.
What does indiscriminate adaptation mean?
In simple terms, Solana does not create a dAPP itself but provides a universal capability to link on-chain behaviors, which can be placed on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or any other website and app, without being picky about the application.
The official video intuitively demonstrates the user experience of Blink:
- Someone posts on Twitter to call for donations and includes a post with a Blink link.
- When others see the post, the link transforms into a WYSIWYG donation page, allowing you to click a button to donate directly;
- **No need to jump to any ** DAO, DEX, or other dAPPs; you can click the button to donate directly on Twitter (wallet integration required).
- Once the donation is completed, the on-chain transaction is effective, without needing to pay attention to any details behind the blockchain.
From this example, it can be seen that Blink effectively transforms any on-chain activity into a front-end visible link. Any user on the front end who clicks this link, or clicks the page represented by this link (such as donating, creating NFTs, SWAP, etc.), can complete on-chain operations without redirection.
The underlying logic is encapsulated, with only user-friendly page interactions presented.
The technology stack supporting the implementation of this Blink link is referred to by Solana as Actions: an API that allows the construction of transaction messages using complex on-chain business logic, which can be browsed, signed, and sent by clients; native buttons, QR codes, or URLs from social media can all initiate the Action call.
Thus, Blink can be considered a type of URL, meaning that calling Solana's method of implementing various on-chain operations without being picky about the front end is not limited to this one approach, and there is more room for imagination in the future.
Of course, Solana alone may not be able to accomplish this.
The technology behind Action and Blink was developed in collaboration between Solana and Dialect (@saydialect), while the aforementioned functionalities like voting, buying NFTs, and conducting SWAPs may require Solana's own ecosystem projects to provide the features.
For example, donations can use Sphere, buying NFTs can use Tensor, and exchanging currencies may use Jupiter, etc. In short, the capabilities are still provided by ecosystem projects, but the presentation can be completed directly on social media.
You don't need to worry about who provided the technology behind it; everything has been encapsulated as much as possible.
Is the End of Going Mainstream All About Socialization?
Returning to the initial question of this article, does this resemble Warpcaster?
In fact, from the results, they do converge in the same direction, embedding on-chain operations into social media with one click, leaving the complexity to themselves and simplicity to the users.
However, if you reflect on the recent trends in the crypto space, you'll find that everyone seems to want to go mainstream, or make going mainstream itself a point of FOMO, and they all inadvertently head towards a socialization route.
It's just that their endowments and paths of realization differ.
Farcaster is self-sufficient, having created the decentralized social media Warpcast for you to use, employing the FRAME framework to embed various on-chain operations, allowing you to see and use everything on Warpcaster without redirection;
TON rises by leveraging its strengths, already having the mature and associated social powerhouse Telegram for you to use, with various built-in mini-programs blooming into fun little games, plus the built-in TON wallet enhancing the experience;
In comparison, Solana seems to be more about building connections, not creating its own social media or having any social media, but providing another elegant parasitic possibility --- I can embed through Blink into any popular, mainstream, and commonly used social media; I don't care about traffic, I just borrow the existing massive traffic.
Compared to that, Twitter is more mainstream, and crypto Twitter posts already have their own audience and circles, so choosing to focus here can be seen as a competitive advantage.
However, who will ultimately prevail remains uncertain, as each has its own advantages and audience; but one thing is certain:
Everyone is thinking along similar lines, and the end of going mainstream indeed cannot lack social support.
In the current context where the crypto experience is still poor, expanding new colonies to attract more users is a necessary step.
Smart you, which ship will you board?
