The man who can predict the future:

Balaji.

He was one of the early investors in Bitcoin and Ethereum

and now predicts that social media is about to become much more profitable than people realize.

Here are his four shocking predictions about the future of social media and wealth creation:

Balaji believes we are not even close to the peak power of social media.

In fact, we’ve only just begun.

"Anyone who wants to build billion-dollar companies must also build a media base with a million followers.

Every new company can have a founder-influencer on par with the founding engineer."

What does this mean for you?

Attention is today’s currency.

Unlike any other time in history, anyone can do it.

You don’t need specialized skills to build a company - having a large number of followers is as important as a decade of programming experience.

But it gets bigger.

Anyone looking to build wealth needs to understand this.

Balaji coined the term "dollar":

Most followers today neither pay nor engage.

But "dollars" are "dollar-weighted followers": they are engaged and pay creators.

Why is this so important?

Unlike following, "dollar-weighted" behavior is rare and valuable.

It indicates commitment to a cause - and we’re already seeing this on platforms like Substack and Patreon.

These platforms are creating generational shifts in social media.

On these platforms, content creators build followers who are both engaged and monetized.

And these creators have become the most powerful figures.

Their work attracts attention and capital (one or the other).

Social media will become a vehicle for change, says Balaji.

Balaji predicts the emergence of "network states":

These are digital communities evolving into entities in the real world - almost like their own political states.

We see online communities growing stronger and more cohesive every day:

• Content creators build followings that resemble cults of personality • Groups come together to support causes • What happens online translates into the real world

Now take this step forward.

Balaji envisions states where laws are codes, voting is done on the blockchain, and merit is embedded.

These states will arise from subreddits you’re part of today, for example.

Citizenship will not be determined by where you were born, but by what you believe in.

And here comes the next prediction.

Balaji predicts that soon we will operate under pseudonymous digital names, separating our online and real-world identities.

Just as you have a character in a video game, you can become someone else online.

The "pseudo-anonymity economy" is driven by three main factors: • Technology platforms support multiple accounts • New laws discourage the collection of personal data • Encryption means we can conduct business without revealing identities

The separation of "public name" from "official name" brings a range of benefits.

With "pseudonymous identities," creating content becomes free.

"A pseudonym protects from social supply chain disruptions. An investor, employee, or major client cannot easily target you if what’s being criticized is a pseudonym."

All this means one thing.

Building a following will become the best investment of the coming century.

Pseudonymous identities mean that the following is one of the assets:

And it will continue to escalate - much like real estate in this generation.

Pay the rent, or build the wealth.

For me, the choice seems clear.

"Quoted"