Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are unique virtual tokens which are stored on a blockchain and can be linked to a wide range of digital and physical assets. In the online art world, NFTs are meant to function as digital certificates of authenticity and ownership, facilitating provenance research and introducing the notion of scarcity to the digital realm. However, the long-term sustainability of NFTs is threatened by their association to art theft, scams, and negative environmental impact. This qualitative study investigates the effects that non-fungible tokens have had on the work of online visual artists. With the goal of presenting multiple perspectives on a complex phenomenon, semi-structured interviews were conducted both with artists who personally create NFTs of their artwork and with artists whose art was tokenized by others without their permission. The results of the study reveal that NFTs appear as a possible path towards financial freedom for artists and a democratization of the arts. At the same time, a reoccurring point of concern is that online social media platforms and NFT marketplaces largely fail to protect artists against NFT-related art theft. Based on the answers collected from the interviews, this study presents several potential measures that could help combat plagiarism and scamming. Finally, the issue of widespread ignorance and misinformation is discussed, highlighting the need for more reliable, unbiased resources on the topic of NFTs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-478515 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Hrenyak, Alexia |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för ABM |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Theses within Digital Humanities ; 22 |
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