The trove of 1.5 million messages posted to the Ethereum blockchain offers a vibrant cross-section of life on-chain.<\/p>\n
While most degens exclusively leverage blockchains for financial transactions, distributed ledgers also facilitate the immortalization of messages on-chain.<\/p>\n
More than 1.5 million messages have been published on the Ethereum blockchain to date, providing a snapshot into the cross-section of life on-chain.<\/p>\n
A recent analysis by CroissantEth, a web3 influencer, found<\/a> love letters, song lyrics, and obituaries buried in Ethereum\u2019s block history. <\/p>\n The network captures moments of elation, desperation, and everything in between \u2014 even religious proclamations<\/a> about the Buddha.<\/p>\n But while some of the messages published on blockchains are trivial<\/a>, on-chain messaging also provides a critically important utility \u2014 facilitating the immutable, censorship-resistant, and permanent publication of information.<\/p>\n \u201cA blockchain is, at its core, digital speech; it’s a ledger that communicates across space and time, energy, and debits and credits,\u201d Arthur Hayes, the former CEO of BitMEX, told The Defiant. \u201cIt is absolutely central to the value proposition of blockchain-based cryptocurrencies that speech be unfettered. As such, any ways in which a public blockchain can preserve free speech should be supported.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2018, a Chinese student activist published<\/a> an open letter on Ethereum after the note was censored on local social media. The letter claimed that the author, Yue Xin, was forced to destroy a request for information concerning a sexual misconduct case at Peking University, a prestigious university that Xin attended. The victim allegedly killed herself in 1998 after being harassed by a professor at Peking University, and her story became a rallying cry for China\u2019s #MeToo movement at the time.<\/p>\n Amid the covid-10 pandemic in 2020, Sarah Zheng, a Chinese journalist, used<\/a> Ethereum to publish an interview with a Wuhan-based doctor on the subject of the disease\u2019s outbreak after the interview was banned from WeChat. The doctor claimed she was the subject of “unprecedented and severe reprimand” by local authorities in December 2019 after issuing a warning to other medical professionals concerning a patient diagnosed with covid-19 as the existence of an atypical pneumonia-like illness first began<\/a> to come to light.<\/p>\n Less than three weeks later, the World Health Organization launched<\/a> a blockchain-based platform for sharing data on the coronavirus pandemic. The platform, MiPasa, leveraged Hyperledger \u2014 a permissioned fork of Ethereum.<\/p>\n Ethereum has consistently proved a popular platform for Chinese dissidents seeking to speak out against political repression.<\/p>\n \u201cOct 13th, 2022, a citizen put up pro-democracy banners in Beijing, he\/she was arrested by police, and related images were censored,\u201d one Ethereum user wrote<\/a> on Oct. 23, 2022. \u201cWe, people of China, want to spread this message that speaks our minds in places without censorship\u2026 Freedom NOT Lockdown. Dignity NOT Lies. Reform NOT Regression. Elections NOT Dictatorship. Citizens NOT Slaves. #End Xictatorship #FreeChina.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCensorship resistance is a core tenant of blockchains,\u201d Hudson Jameson, formerly of the Ethereum Foundation, told The Defiant. \u201cIt is one of the main things separating what we build from an ordinary distributed network.\u201d<\/p>\n Jameson noted that the immutable nature of blockchains enables a variety of powerful use cases, including providing timestamping<\/a> for patent blueprints and other time-sensitive documentation.<\/p>\n \u201cI strongly believe prior art arguments in patent cases will eventually utilize blockchains as a way to provably timestamp an invention,\u201d Hudson said. \u201cThere is also applicability with proving you had an idea for a patent or a submitted patent before others.\u201d<\/p>\n Numerous projects have also sought to utilize Ethereum and other blockchains to create land ownership registries<\/a>. These efforts typically seek to overcome disputes resulting from incomplete or missing land ownership records and combat corrupt land seizures in emerging economies.<\/p>\n Last month, CroissantEth shared some of the highlights from a deep dive into the trove of messages hosted on Ethereum to social media.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a wonderfully dark and beautiful place at the same time,\u201d they tweeted<\/a>.<\/p>\n While many of the on-chain messages unearthed exhibit few intentions beyond aimlessly farting<\/a> into a binary void, others were sent to specific recipients with direct intent.<\/p>\n Victims of hacks and scams reaching out to their assailants comprise a common theme among on-chain messages.<\/p>\n One user claimed to be engaging in satanic rituals involving severed goat heads in a bid to summon dark spirits that would avenge their financial losses.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery goddamn night, I will summon the Dark Lord himself and make a blood offering, demanding your immediate damnation,\u201d an Ethereum user said<\/a>. \u201cHere\u2019s your last chance: return my ETH or face a hex worse than anything you could\u2019ve ever imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n Others sought revenge through less esoteric means.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have already confirmed your identity, and the police forces of China, the USA, and Russia have been involved,\u201d the apparent victim of a hack wrote<\/a>. \u201cAll stolen funds have been marked for tracking and cannot be used, and the financial counterparties will be frozen. Return by November 25, 2023, and we will offer a $10 million white hat reward. If not returned by that time, police forces from multiple countries will take action.\u201d<\/p>\n Another user threatened to take their own life should a hacker fail to return 125 stolen Ether, claiming to be hiding the loss from their spouse and family \u2014 an unfortunately prevalent theme.<\/p>\n \u201cI am contacting you as a last resort before suicide, because my life has lost all meaning since you took everything,\u201d the purported victim posted<\/a>.\u201cMy two daughters and my wife\u2026 are not aware that I lost everything in your exploit.\u201d<\/p>\n By contrast, some messages showcased crypto holders\u2019 propensity for random acts of kindness.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m crying, thank you for your help,\u201d one user wrote<\/a> after reaching out to random wallets requesting financial assistance and receiving 0.5 ETH from an anonymous address. \u201cYou don\u2019t know how much it means to me.\u201d<\/p>\n However, most pleas<\/a> for charity were left unanswered.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, happy New Year, I have birthday tomorrow,\u201d one wallet said<\/a>. \u201c[Could] you send something, anything whould be good. I have lost one leg few year ago and can\u2019t work good.\u201d<\/p>\n Blockchains also host deeply personal interactions, including romance.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the first few blocks after Zcash launched, someone sent a transaction with an encrypted memo to someone that contained an IPFS hash that pointed to concert tickets,\u201d Jameson said. \u201cIt was an encrypted love note<\/a> on-chain.\u201d<\/p>\n Ethereum\u2019s library of on-chain messages similarly features many crypto-native professions of love.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Donya, echo of the universe, a beacon in the vast expanse,\u201d one letter said<\/a>. \u201cIn a multiverse of paths untold beside you, I yearn to roam, with a whisper and a dance of our own, our hands, perfectly entwined.\u201d<\/p>\n Another message records<\/a> that Mr. Yang and Ms. Du became engaged on Dec. 3, 2021, in Beijing.<\/p>\n However, not every love letter appeared to culminate in a happy ending.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a naive soul named John, captivated by Emily’s charm,\u201d \u2018John\u2019 said<\/a>. \u201cLove\u2019s promises shattered, leaving me broken\u2026 I am now burdened and my life has lost hope.\u201d<\/p>\n Other messages could be grounds for a restraining order.<\/p>\n \u201cHi Sal\u2026 I really wish you would unblock me,\u201d another wallet wrote<\/a>. \u201cEvery moment since you blocked me has felt like an eternity as I wait for you to hopefully unblock me and send me a message\u2026 I know it’s only been a few days but I\u2019m scared I\u2019m going to lose you forever.\u201d<\/p>\n Enemies have even turned allies through on-chain messaging, with two rival arbitrage trading bot operators appearing to put their differences aside in the name of maximizing profits.<\/p>\n \u201cHi man, I know we are competing with each other,\u201d one user said<\/a>. \u201cThe final ending is there is no profit we can gain. I can given you a half profit whenever I make a shot if you give up\u2026 I will make a new contract which transfers a half to you automatically.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood, will keep an eye for you if there\u2019s new competitor,\u201d the recipient replied. \u201cCan share your gas cost if there\u2019s any competition.\u201d<\/p>\nCombing through blockchain messages<\/h2>\n
Desperate pleas from hackers\u2019 victims<\/h2>\n
Random acts of kindness<\/h2>\n
On-chain love letters<\/h2>\n
Rivals become partners<\/h2>\n