In his latest article, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, proposes that Ethereum’s Layer 2 is not only a technical expansion but also a cultural extension. He points out that L2 provides an ideal platform for building subcultures, which is a huge advantage for Ethereum.
Vitalik states that this diversity is reflected not only in the technical aspects but also in the cultural aspects, as various cultural values shape the direction of Ethereum’s development and user base.
Vitalik mentions the importance of culture, citing researcher Paul Dylan-Ennis’s study that identifies three major subcultures within Ethereum: Cypherpunks, Regens, and Degens, each playing a role in different areas of Ethereum. Vitalik adds that these are not the only important groups within Ethereum and questions the extent to which they are cohesive, giving examples of profit-oriented institutional groups and people buying monkey pictures, who have very different cultural values. This diversity within the Ethereum community reflects a significant advantage, and Vitalik asks if this cultural diversity can be further strengthened.
Addressing this question, Vitalik believes that L2 provides a solution. He believes that an ideal L2 should have unique values and user groups, such as Polygon’s success in collaborating with mainstream companies and its constantly evolving high-quality ZK ecosystem, and Optimism’s cultural concepts of funding traceable public goods and governance beyond token-based governance, demonstrated through its Base and World Chain.
Vitalik emphasizes that an important feature of L2 is that it provides an ideal platform for any subculture to take action. He believes that a strategy centered around L2 can balance the benefits of pluralism and collaboration, where these subcultures, although different, share some core values and collaborate on critical shared infrastructure.
He admits that this approach may face challenges such as falling into a monoculture, but he believes that Ethereum is an ongoing experiment and the allure of this ecosystem lies in its willingness to face difficult problems.
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