Ethereum Layer-2 is not just about scaling. Vitalik Buterin, one of the founders of Ethereum, says Ethereum Layer-2 is also home to “subcultures” that grow the Ethereum ecosystem beyond what any single chain can do on its own.
In a May 29 blog post on Buterin’s self-hosted blog, the Ethereum co-founder explored the benefits of Layer 2 blockchains beyond technological innovation, arguing that this layer also serves as a hotbed of the cryptocurrency subculture.
One of these subcultures includes old-school “cypherpunks,” who build infrastructure and tools but aren’t concerned about how they are used, while philanthropic “recyclers” focus on providing public goods to their communities.
Then there are the speculative “degens” who seek to profit from popular memecoins or non-fungible tokens.
Buterin explained that these subcultures, first identified by Ethereum researcher Professor Paul Dylan-Ennis, have resulted in different approaches to scaling, virtual machine design, and application selection.
This shows how Layer 2 has become “the ultimate arena for action,” Buterin said.
“(For example) institutional for-profit organizations and people buying pictures of monkeys are culturally very different.”
Design decisions cost money
But Buterin warns that blockchain developers must understand that decisions they make to attract certain audiences may exclude others.
“Once a blockchain is publicly understood to be a ‘casino chain’ and nothing else, it becomes difficult to mount applications other than casinos.”
He added that such a protocol would also make it much more difficult to attract core developers and researchers rather than mercenaries.
Buterin preaches ‘cultural pluralism’
Buterin is optimistic that all subcultures in Ethereum Layer 2 can be balanced by the concept of “cultural pluralism,” which will ultimately benefit the Ethereum ecosystem.
“(Cultural pluralism) allows one subculture to focus on core development while another subculture focuses on growth at the ‘edges’ of the ecosystem,” Buterin explained.
Buterin emphasized that little cultural expertise has emerged from Layer 2 of Ethereum, such as Optimism’s commitment to having more women in more leadership roles and ZKSync’s commitment to remaining “cypherpunk and user-friendly at the same time.”
Related: Vitalik Buterin is preparing a new way to decentralize Ethereum staking.
He also acknowledged that there may be many challenges resulting from the clash between these subcultures due to “incentive mismatches”, but is confident that these issues can be resolved in due course.
“Ethereum is an ongoing experiment, and one of the things that excites me about the ecosystem is its willingness to tackle difficult problems head-on.”
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