David Bridges
Meta hasn’t been having a great time of late – and it’s mainly thanks to the company’s handling of Instagram. The photo-sharing app (although that very definition seems up for debate these days) has seen all manner of unpopular algorithmic updates that haven’t pleased users. And now it’s giving us… an NFT of Mark Zuckerberg as a child? Okay, then.
Zuck announced in May that Instagram would soon be implementing NFTs, letting users share collectables in their timelines. And one such collectable is an NFT of the Meta CEO’s 1992 Little League baseball card. Because who wouldn’t want to own the digital rights to that? (Check out our guide to NFTs if you’re wondering what we’re talking about.)
Zuckerberg announced the NFT in celebration of NFTs on Instagram rolling out to 100 more countries, along with “new integrations with Coinbase and Dapper”. “Zuckerberg had this card personally-made in 1992 and gave it to his favorite camp counselor, Allie Tarantino,” announces seller ComicConnect (opens in new tab). “Allie accepted the gift and playfully asked Mark to sign it, like a real baseball player.”
Now, it’s all very sweet – and arguably a piece of history. But that sweetness feels a little strange in the context of Zuckerberg in 2022 – the man behind a somewhat dystopian (and, some have said, democracy-damaging) company dogged by privacy scandal after privacy scandal. Are people really queueing up to own a childhood photo of the guy? The whole thing feels almost as bizarre as Facebook’s VR home office.
Mark Zuckerberg announced we’re rolling out digital collectibles to 100 more countries. Now, more people, creators and businesses can showcase their #NFTs on @instagram. We’re also launching integrations with @CoinbaseWallet @hellodapper and support for @flow_blockchain.August 4, 2022
Still, if you want it, it’s there – it isn’t clear where the NFT will be sold (or indeed how much it’ll cost), but Comic Connect will no doubt have the details later down the line. But one thing’s for sure – the addition of NFTs is unlikely to placate the many social media users wondering if it’s time to delete Instagram.
Cameron Steel
