Blink Leads the Social Revolution: Can It Solely Support the Popularization of Web3?

Author: Lumos Ngok, Noah Ho, YuppieZombie

Introduction

Solana's newly launched Blink feature has instantly ignited the crypto community. This feature, with its revolutionary design, transforms on-chain operations such as transactions, voting, payments, and minting into a shareable link, allowing users to complete complex on-chain interactions directly on social platforms like Twitter without needing to navigate away. The emergence of Blink has been hailed as "the most Web3 application," with hopes that it can truly bridge Web2 and Web3. So, can this highly anticipated new feature live up to its promise? Or is it merely another flashy but impractical plugin? This article will delve into the potential and challenges of Blink, exploring whether it can genuinely lead the future of Web3.

Overview of Solana

Solana is a Layer 1 public chain known for its high efficiency and smart contract capabilities. Since its establishment in 2017, Solana has garnered attention for its high-performance characteristics. In contrast, Ethereum, as the largest smart contract public chain, processes only tens of transactions per second (TPS), while Solana can achieve hundreds of thousands of TPS. This gives Solana a significant advantage in efficiency, effectively addressing Ethereum's congestion issues.

Despite Ethereum having the most extensive ecosystem and a very high total value locked (TVL), its decentralization and security are widely recognized, but the trilemma of public chains (the inability to simultaneously achieve decentralization, security, and scalability) still exists. Ethereum excels in decentralization and security, attracting a large amount of capital, which gives it the highest public chain TVL. However, Ethereum's low scalability results in low TPS, frequent high gas fees, and occasional network congestion and transaction failures. During some hot projects, such as the BAYC's Otherside land NFT issuance, gas fees soared to outrageous levels, causing the entire network to congest and preventing other transactions.

The emergence of Solana has solved this problem. By making moderate compromises in decentralization, it has greatly enhanced scalability, achieving transaction speeds of hundreds of thousands per second and reducing gas fees to a few cents. Solana was once considered an "Ethereum killer," with its native token peaking at over $240 in 2021. However, due to its association with SBF and FTX, as well as multiple network outages, Solana plummeted over 90% in 2022, with its token price dropping to single digits.

As we enter 2024, Solana has risen again, re-entering the public eye. Its token price has surged several times from a low of about $20 in just over six months, reaching over $140, sparking widespread discussion. In 2024, several projects within the Solana ecosystem have gained popularity, including the infrastructure project Pyth Network, the Render Network migrating to Solana, the distributed GPU project IO.net, and the decentralized exchange Jupiter, which also airdropped tokens to users in 2024. Additionally, meme coins like WIF, Bonk, Bome, and Slerf have also gained popularity within the community.

The success of a public chain relies on strong ecosystem projects and developer support. The aforementioned projects leverage Solana's high throughput characteristics, allowing users to interact with contracts and conduct transactions at low gas fees without worrying about network congestion. Although Solana occasionally experiences outages, its token price and ecosystem continue to perform well, especially with the thriving development of decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) and meme ecosystems.

The Rise of Blink Technology

The community currently believes that Web3 needs more fresh blood, as people have grown weary of prolonged on-chain interactions. The high barriers to entry and low outflow of Web3 often hinder achieving this goal. Developers are continuously working to lower the development and usage thresholds through infrastructure construction while enriching application scenarios.

In our previous article, "The Mini Program Revolution: The Journey of Telegram Mini Programs into Web3," we introduced the important role of Telegram mini programs as a bridge from Web2 to Web3. Through the ease of dissemination of social software, lightweight applications of mini programs, and simple Ton contract interactions, Telegram has opened the door to Web3 for many Web2 users.

Recently, Solana has also boldly launched its new feature, Blink. Blink integrates on-chain operations into any website in the form of embedded web pages, allowing users to complete preset on-chain operations without navigating away. In the past, on-chain operations typically required accessing the DApp web pages operated by the project party. If users saw information on third-party platforms (like social media), they had to navigate to the project party's website to perform on-chain operations and contract interactions. This increased the barriers and difficulties for DApp dissemination.

The emergence of Blink allows developers to embed on-chain contract operations anywhere. For example, on social platforms like X, Blink can enhance dissemination rates and make it easier to reach a wider audience. For developers, they can create one-time on-chain operations at a lower threshold, such as voting on a proposal on X. Developers can quickly create interactive links, easily publish them on X or embed them on other websites, greatly enhancing user experience and operational convenience.

Blink is an innovative technology developed by Dialect Labs, focusing on information transmission through smart contracts. Dialect Labs completed several million dollars in seed funding in 2022, providing strong financial support. Before delving into Blink, we need to understand Solana Action, which is an API that conforms to Solana specifications, containing titles, descriptions, images, and transaction signing and sending functions. By calling this API, one can retrieve the written content and sign and send the built-in transactions.

The core function of Blink is to convert Solana Action code into a visual link. This link can not only display and send on-chain interaction requests on the website but can also be embedded in third-party websites. From a developer's perspective, they only need to package the required content and on-chain operations into Solana Action, submit the code, and after passing the review, they can obtain a Blink link. This link can be shared and embedded on any website, especially on easily disseminated social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Discord.

On social media, this embedded webpage will display the encapsulated information, allowing users to click buttons to conduct transactions directly. From a user's perspective, they only need to click the shared Blink page or enter the required parameters and click the preset button to activate their browser wallet plugin for transaction signing and sending. For example, the following image shows a Blink page for sending Sol, with instructions already written to send Sol to a specific address. Users only need to enter the amount and press the send button to complete the transfer of Sol. This method greatly simplifies the user's operational process and enhances interaction convenience.

The emergence of Blink significantly reduces the development difficulty of DApp interactions while enhancing dissemination capabilities through website embedding. For users, this method reduces the hassle of frequently switching pages, allowing all operations to be completed on one page. Currently, the Blink feature has been launched on social media platforms like X, sparking widespread discussion and attempts by developers. Blink makes on-chain operations easier to disseminate and gain more exposure, but it also has some unresolved issues.

First, there are potential security concerns. Although Blink links undergo review, the review is not strict, and it cannot rule out the possibility of malicious actors embedding phishing transactions into Blink links and spreading them widely. Secondly, Blink transactions still rely on browser wallets and externally owned accounts (EOA) for management. After clicking the preset transaction, users still need to call their browser wallet for signing and sending, which requires them to have a private key wallet, thus not lowering the threshold. To further attract users, improvements may be needed in wallet infrastructure, including abstract accounts and custodial wallets. Additionally, mobile adaptation is still required, which relies on more blockchain infrastructure.

Compared to Telegram mini programs bringing Web2 users into Web3 at a low threshold, Solana has taken a different approach with Blink. Telegram mini programs rely on the social program of Telegram's hundreds of millions of internal users, while Solana lacks its own social media. Therefore, Blink embeds contract operations into existing social media or other websites for dissemination and traffic generation. Secondly, the carriers are different; Telegram mini programs are more mobile or client-based, while Solana Blink primarily targets desktop web pages. Finally, Telegram's built-in wallet and custodial wallet lower the threshold for users to use wallets, while Solana has not made any improvements in this area for now.

Prospects for Blink's Application Scenarios

The technical foundation of Blink is Solana Actions, which is a standardized API that allows developers to convert various Solana interactions into interactive buttons on social media platforms. Blinks can be compatible with links, QR codes, push notifications, messaging applications, and other formats, giving rise to a rich array of application scenarios. These application scenarios include but are not limited to the following aspects:

Advertising

The application of Blink in advertising can provide a new way of interaction for advertisers and users. Here are some possible specific methods:

• Direct Interaction: Blink allows users to interact directly with advertisements on social media, for example, by clicking links or buttons in tweets to participate in activities such as claiming coupons, entering raffles, or directly purchasing products.

• Increased Conversion Rates: By simplifying the steps for users to participate in advertising activities, Blink can enhance the conversion rates of advertisements. Users can complete transactions or participate in activities without leaving the social media platform, and this seamless experience helps improve user engagement.

• Enhanced Advertising Effectiveness: Advertisers can utilize Blink technology to showcase richer advertising content, such as issuing blockchain-verified coupons, product trials, or limited-time discount activities, increasing the appeal of advertisements.

• Real-time Feedback and Analysis: Blink can provide advertisers with real-time user feedback and interaction data, helping them analyze advertising effectiveness and optimize advertising strategies.

• Innovative Advertising Formats: Blink can support new types of advertising formats, such as blockchain-based gamified ads and interactive story ads, providing users with a more engaging advertising experience.

Gaming

Blink technology can not only enhance players' gaming experiences but also provide game developers with new business models and community interaction methods. Here are some possible specific methods:

• Direct In-game Purchases: Players can directly purchase in-game items or currency through Blink technology on social media without navigating to other payment platforms or pages.

• Simplified Login Process: Players can quickly connect their blockchain wallets using Blink technology as a means of game login and identity verification, simplifying the registration and login process.

• Social Sharing Incentives: Game developers can use Blink technology to encourage players to share game content on social media, such as earning in-game rewards or special items for sharing.

• Participation in In-game Events: By embedding Blink on social media, players can participate in various in-game activities, such as competitions, voting, or community decisions, directly within tweets.

• Enhanced Game Interactivity: Blink can be used to create interactive ads or game trailers, allowing viewers to interact directly with the content, such as signing up for game beta tests or registering for events.

• Community-driven Game Design: Using Blink, game developers can collect community feedback and votes directly on social media, influencing the direction of game development and updates.

• Game Achievements and Rewards: Players' interactions on social media can translate into in-game achievements or rewards, encouraging players to be active on social media and promote the game.

Tipping

Blink technology can provide modern, efficient, and user-friendly solutions for tipping and creator support, helping to incentivize creators to produce more high-quality content and strengthen their connection with fans. At the same time, it offers fans a direct way to support their favorite creators. Here are specific possible applications of Blink in tipping and creator support:

• Instant Tipping: Viewers or readers can tip their favorite content directly on social media without going through third-party payment platforms, as Blink technology can facilitate instant on-chain transactions.

• Increased Interactivity: Creators can embed Blink tipping buttons in their content, allowing viewers to tip directly by clicking the button, increasing the interactivity of the content.

• Creator Incentives: Blink can be used to incentivize creators to produce more quality content, encouraging them to continue creating through direct financial support.

• Customized Tipping: Creators can customize tipping options according to their needs, such as setting different tipping levels and corresponding rewards or privileges.

Social E-commerce

Blink technology can bring a more convenient, secure, and personalized shopping experience to social e-commerce while providing merchants with new marketing channels and customer interaction methods:

• Product Display: Brands and merchants can showcase products on social media and use Blink technology to add purchase buttons, allowing users to complete transactions directly in tweets or posts.

• Simplified Transaction Process: Blink technology can integrate payment and transaction confirmation processes, making the shopping experience on social media smoother and more convenient for users.

• Social Proof Shopping: In a social e-commerce environment, friends' recommendations and purchasing behaviors can significantly influence users' purchasing decisions. Blink can allow users to see their friends' purchasing behaviors and quickly follow up with purchases.

• Incentivized Sharing: Merchants can use Blink technology to incentivize users to share product links, such as by offering discounts, cashback, or points rewards to both sharers and purchasers.

• Personalized Recommendations: By combining users' social media behaviors and purchase histories, merchants can provide personalized product recommendations through Blink technology.

• Support for Digital Goods Transactions: In addition to physical goods, Blink technology is also applicable to transactions of digital goods such as e-books, music, and virtual items.

In summary, Solana Blink demonstrates the potential of blockchain technology in social media applications, providing new possibilities for user interaction. However, it also requires further consideration and optimization in terms of security and user experience. The security of smart contracts, user privacy protection, transaction verification, and fraud prevention are all areas that need to be prioritized. Additionally, the success of Blink also relies on the innovative capabilities and market appeal of the Solana ecosystem, as well as the integration of technology and market.

Is Socialization the Only Way for Web3 to Break Out?

If we analyze the development trends in the crypto space over the past few years, we can see that many projects have coincidentally chosen a socialization route for breakout. The universality of social demand means that social applications can always attract a large number of users, and embedding on-chain operations in social media to lower operational thresholds indeed has the potential to become a breakthrough for large-scale applications of Web3 technology. However, is socialization truly the only way to break out? To explore this question more deeply, we will provide several other cases for comparison:

Farcaster

Farcaster is a decentralized social protocol that adopts a modular design, allowing developers to build various social applications. As a decentralized social network based on Ethereum, Farcaster aims to provide users with a social environment not controlled by centralized platforms. Its core features include:

• Decentralized identity system

• Open data formats

• Multi-client support

• Off-chain data storage with on-chain verification

Farcaster demonstrates how Web3 social platforms can address the need for decentralization through technological innovation. Next, let's look at another exploration in the social field—Lens Protocol.

Lens Protocol

Lens Protocol is a social graph protocol built on the Polygon network that tokenizes users' social relationships, achieving programmability of social assets. Its main features include:

• NFT-based profiles

• Transferable follow relationships

• Modular content monetization mechanisms

Lens Protocol provides new possibilities for Web3 social through the tokenization of social relationships. In contrast, TON has deeply integrated cryptocurrency with social networks.

TON

Although TON was initially developed by the Telegram team and later transitioned to community maintenance, it still represents an innovative attempt to combine cryptocurrency with social networks. TON allows users to conduct crypto payments and transactions while interacting socially by embedding wallets and decentralized applications within Telegram. This integration not only enhances user convenience but also promotes the adoption of Web3 technology on mainstream social platforms. The design philosophy of TON includes:

• High-performance multi-shard blockchain

• Integrated payment and social functions

• Lightweight client

These cases showcase the diverse explorations of Web3 social, with each platform having its unique technological routes and value propositions. Although they each adopt different methods to achieve socialization, they all reflect a common trend: Web3 social has enormous market opportunities.

However, to truly meet the needs of the public, Web3 social still faces numerous challenges:

• User Experience: Most current Web3 social platforms still lag behind traditional social media in terms of user-friendliness. Complex wallet management and high gas fees remain obstacles for ordinary users.

• Scalability: Despite Layer 2 solutions, handling high-concurrency social interactions globally remains a technical challenge.

• Regulatory Compliance: The decentralized nature of Web3 social platforms makes it difficult to implement traditional content moderation and user management, which may raise regulatory issues.

• Ecosystem Development: Web3 social requires a thriving developer ecosystem to create rich applications and content, but the current developer base is relatively limited.

• User Education: The concept of Web3 is still unfamiliar to most users, necessitating extensive educational efforts to cultivate user habits.

• Balancing Privacy and Anonymity: How to protect user privacy while preventing the platform from being misused for illegal activities is a matter that requires careful consideration.

The Future of Web3 Social Development

Despite the challenges, Web3 social still has a bright future, especially in the following areas:

• The Rise of Social Finance (SocialFi): Web3 social has the potential to seamlessly integrate social interactions with financial activities, creating new value exchange models. For example, innovative applications such as reputation-based lending and social tokenization may emerge.

• The Integration of the Metaverse and Web3 Social: With the development of the metaverse concept, Web3 social may become an important link between the real world and the virtual world, providing users with immersive social experiences.

• The Popularization of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs): Web3 social platforms may become incubators and operational centers for DAOs, promoting the development of new organizational forms.

• Revolutionizing Content Creation: Through mechanisms like NFTs and tokenization, Web3 social is expected to reshape the incentive model for content creation, enabling creators to benefit more from their works.

• Cross-platform Identity and Reputation Systems: As decentralized identity technology matures, users may possess unified identities and reputations that span different platforms, enhancing the coherence of social experiences.

Other Possible Breakout Paths

While socialization is an effective way for Web3 to break out, it is not the only approach. Here are some other possible breakout paths:

1. Decentralized Finance (DeFi): DeFi has shown strong appeal among specific groups, attracting widespread attention in the financial market by providing innovative financial services such as lending, trading, and wealth management.

2. Gaming and Entertainment: Blockchain gaming and the NFT art market exhibit tremendous potential, attracting a large number of young users and gaming enthusiasts by applying blockchain technology to gaming.

3. Enterprise Applications: B2B applications such as supply chain management and digital identity may bring significant breakthroughs. Blockchain technology has notable advantages in enterprise applications, such as improving transparency and reducing fraud.

4. Public Services: The adoption of blockchain technology by governments and public sectors may have widespread impacts, such as in public services like elections and land registration.

5. Internet of Things (IoT): Combining blockchain technology with IoT can achieve interconnectivity and data sharing among smart devices, enhancing the security and efficiency of IoT systems.

Conclusion

Although socialization is indeed an important avenue for connecting Web3 technology with the public, a single path is unlikely to meet the complex market demands. The true popularization of Web3 technology may require multiple fields to advance together. In the future, we may see deep integration of social, financial, entertainment, and other functions on Web3 platforms, creating entirely new application forms. For instance, SocialFi (social finance) will combine social interactions with financial services, providing users with more opportunities for value exchange.

The launch of Blink marks an important step for Solana in the realm of Web3 socialization. By simplifying on-chain operations and seamlessly embedding them into social media platforms, it demonstrates great potential and may become a key tool for bridging Web2 and Web3. However, while the path of socialization is highly regarded and can indeed attract a large number of users, the true popularization of Web3 technology cannot rely solely on socialization. As demonstrated by cases like Farcaster, Lens Protocol, and TON, the future development of Web3 requires progress and innovation across multiple fields and dimensions. From decentralized finance (DeFi) to the Internet of Things (IoT), Web3 technology must explore breakthroughs in various application scenarios to achieve comprehensive popularization and widespread application. While Blink provides an important opportunity for Web3 socialization, security, user experience, and ecosystem development will remain key factors determining success on this developmental path. In the future, with the rise of new concepts like SocialFi and the metaverse, we may see more unprecedented integrated applications, and Blink may play an even more significant role in this transformation.