Lately, I’ve been browsing task platforms, and it really feels like clocking in for work: daily check-ins, social media interactions, number of engagement clicks, and even rankings based on your score… To put it plainly, “scooping a bargain” is what people originally hoped to do for easy gains, but now it’s turned into being led around by the rules. The “witch” thing is also pretty nuanced—on the one hand, people curse witches, but on the other, they set the bar up like a performance evaluation. In the end, whoever looks more like a “compliant employee” gets the higher score.

Why am I getting the itch to jump in? Probably it’s that kind of anxiety of “you lose out if you don’t do it.” I know full well it’s likely just a waste of time, but I still can’t help feeling like I need to fill up the progress bar—like I’m wrestling with myself.

I also thought about that argument over NFT royalties: creators say they want income, while trading platforms say they want liquidity. Both sound reasonable, but when it finally comes down to ordinary people, it’s just rule changes after rule changes. Today they tell you to support royalties; tomorrow they say it’s voluntary… Anyway, what I care about more now is: who’s actually paying for this whole incentive system, who controls the bridges, contracts, and permissions—and if something goes wrong, is there anyone who will take the blame all the way to the end?