An unexpected beginning
Last week when I went home, I found that my dad was actually researching how to 'put his calligraphy works on the chain'. You should know that this traditional artist, who took three years to figure out how to use a smartphone, previously had an attitude towards cryptocurrency of 'I don't understand and don't want to understand'. But this time he excitedly told me that a friend from the community senior university recommended a platform that can turn works into 'digital collectibles' to sell to people all over the world, and the operation is particularly simple. I leaned over to take a look, and the interface prominently displayed the label 'Powered by Somnia'. At that moment, I realized that the true popularization of Web3 is not about making everyone a tech expert, but about making technology completely invisible in daily experiences.
As someone who has been in the blockchain industry for four years, I have seen too many projects fall into the trap of 'technological worship'—talking endlessly about TPS, consensus mechanisms, and cross-chain protocols, while forgetting that ordinary people only care about 'how usable it is', 'how safe it is', and 'whether it can make money'. Meanwhile, Somnia has done one of the most important things: it has made blockchain an invisible underlying infrastructure, just as we don't think about how the TCP/IP protocol works when using our phones.
From Rejection to Acceptance: The Disappearance of Technological Barriers
I remember a year ago, I tried to teach my dad how to use the MetaMask wallet. Just the step of 'the mnemonic phrase must be carefully written down' created a huge psychological burden for him. He worried about making mistakes, losing the note, and being seen by others, and eventually chose to give up. But this time, on the Somnia ecological art platform, he only registered with his phone number and verified his identity through facial recognition; the whole process took less than two minutes. The system automatically generates an encrypted wallet, with the private key protected by a multi-signature mechanism, and he can choose to export full control at any time.
This shift in design philosophy is crucial. Traditional Web3 projects view 'self-custody of private keys' as the core of decentralization but overlook that this is an insurmountable barrier for ordinary users. Somnia's progressive decentralization strategy allows users to smoothly transition from 'custodial mode' to 'full autonomy', reducing barriers while retaining choice. My dad now logs into the platform every day to check the views and collections of his works, completely unaware that he is 'using blockchain'.
Performance Experience: Invisible Technical Advantages
My dad's first work was a piece of semi-cursive calligraphy, and within ten seconds of uploading it, it completed on-chain certification, with the system automatically generating a digital certificate and anti-counterfeiting traceability information. As a technician, I know what happened behind the scenes—Somnia's high-performance architecture achieved sub-second transaction confirmation, and the gas fees were so low they were almost negligible. But for my dad, he only felt it was 'very fast' and 'very cheap', which was enough.
This reminds me of my previous experience minting NFTs on Ethereum. Every operation required waiting several minutes, gas fees easily reaching dozens of dollars, and it could fail due to network congestion. This experience was completely unmarketable to ordinary users. However, on Somnia, my dad uploaded more than ten works in a month, with total costs of less than five dollars. This 'affordable' cost structure is the prerequisite for large-scale application.
What’s more interesting is the transaction process. One of his landscape paintings was purchased by an overseas collector, and the entire transaction—from bidding to confirmation to funds arriving—took less than a minute. The buyer's payment of $SOMI was automatically converted to Renminbi and displayed in his account, and withdrawing to Alipay was also very smooth. This seamless experience made him completely unaware of the complexities of 'cross-border payments' and 'cryptocurrencies'.
The warmth of the ecosystem: not just a technology platform
What touches me even more is the humanistic care of the Somnia Network ecosystem. The platform not only provides technical infrastructure but also builds a creator community, offers marketing guidance, and organizes online exhibitions. My dad participated in a 'Calligraphy Art Week' event, and his work was recommended to the homepage, attracting thousands of views and dozens of collections in three days. After the event, the platform also air-dropped some $SOMI as participation rewards, although the amount was small, this recognition gave him a great sense of achievement.
This community has various traditional artists—Chinese painting, oil painting, sculpture, pottery—most of whom know nothing about blockchain, but have found new channels for display and monetization here. The platform also offers a 'mentor program', where experienced digital artists help traditional artists adapt to digital creation. My dad is currently learning how to add dynamic effects to his works using an iPad, which was unimaginable before.
The rationality of the economic model
As a practitioner, I carefully studied Somnia's token economic model. $SOMI plays multiple roles in the ecosystem: paying transaction fees, participating in platform governance, purchasing digital works, and incentivizing creators. But the key point is that its value comes from real demand, not speculation.
Every time my dad uploads a work, he consumes a small amount of SOMI as a minting fee. Buyers need to pay for works using SOMI, and the platform also uses SOMI as rewards during events. As more and more artists and collectors join, the actual demand for SOMI continues to grow. This 'demand-driven' value logic is much healthier than those projects relying on speculation to pump prices.
More importantly, the platform has designed a reasonable revenue-sharing mechanism. Artists can earn 85% of the revenue from selling their works, and they can also earn 10% in royalties from secondary transactions. This creator-friendly rule has attracted more and more artists to join. Half of the platform's 15% commission will be used for buybacks and destruction.
形成通缩机制。这种经济模型既保证了创作者利益，又为代币持有者创造了长期价值。
Cultural Integration: A Bridge Between Tradition and the Future
What strikes me the most is that Somnia is becoming a bridge between traditional culture and the digital age. The artists of my father's generation often could only circulate their works within small circles, with extremely limited monetization channels. Galleries take more than 50% commission, and auction houses have too high a threshold, leaving most artists to hold their own exhibitions, which often yield unsatisfactory results.
But in the Somnia ecosystem, they are directly facing the global market. A Japanese collector purchased my dad's work and left a message saying he was moved by its 'Zen-like quality'. An American designer purchased the rights and incorporated calligraphy elements into a commercial design. These cross-cultural exchanges and value realizations are hard to imagine under traditional models.
The platform is also exploring more possibilities. For example, combining static works with AI technology to generate dynamic performance versions; combining works from multiple artists into a 'digital exhibition'; and even allowing collectors to 'rent' works for use in virtual spaces. These innovations protect the rights of artists while expanding the usage scenarios of the works, creating more value.
Calmly facing challenges
Of course, as a practitioner, I clearly see the challenges Somnia faces. Although the technology is relatively mature, the complexity of the art market itself cannot be ignored. How to prevent counterfeits, how to assess the value of works, and how to handle copyright disputes all require more complete mechanisms.
Market competition is also fierce. Established NFT platforms like OpenSea and Rarible have accumulated a large user base, and emerging specialized art platforms are constantly appearing. For Somnia to stand out, it needs to continuously strengthen user experience and ecosystem construction. Fortunately, it has chosen a differentiated route—focusing on enabling traditional artists and ordinary users to easily get started, which may be the breakthrough point.
The uncertainty of the regulatory environment is also a risk. Different countries have significantly different policies towards NFTs and cryptocurrencies, and the platform needs to find a balance between compliance and innovation. I noticed that Somnia has already applied for relevant qualifications in major markets, and this prudent attitude is commendable.
Seeing the possibilities of the future
三个月过去，我爸已经在平台上卖出了五件作品，总收入超过一万元。更重要的是，他找到了新的创作动力和社交圈子。每天跟全国各地的艺术家交流，参加各种线上活动，整个人的精神状态都变好了。
This story makes me rethink the meaning of Web3. It shouldn't be a technical circle full of jargon, but a new world where everyone can participate and benefit. What Somnia has achieved is to leave the complexity to technology, and the simplicity to users; to leave innovation to developers, and the experience to ordinary people.
When I saw more and more ordinary people like my dad enjoying the benefits of Web3 without fully understanding concepts like 'blockchain', 'smart contracts', and 'decentralization', I knew the industry was finally on the right path. Perhaps in a few years, we won't even use the term 'Web3' because it has become a part of life, just like today's internet.
And Somnia may be one of the driving forces that make all this a reality.