IMO, mainstream coverage of NFTs and web3 by extension has been lacking for some time; writers have failed to capture the phenomenon of this very online, bizarre, groundbreaking, and heartbreaking (?!) world. I do think part of it is that writers must appeal to their readership/audience, who are still mostly confused about NFTs, crypto, and what web3 all mean.

But that is changing! Here, I’ll highlight a few recent essays/stories from writers I trust who are bringing new lenses to crypto, web3, and NFTs in the mainstream. I find them incredibly useful & informative, especially for people just joining *the space.* In this post, I’m focusing on the New York Times as I tend to check out whatever they put out on these topics.

I apologize in advance if you’re unable to read some of these without a subscription to the NY Times! Send me a DM and maybe I can help you.

Read on! Might be some alpha in there.

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Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom’s three-essay series on crypto

I want to start with one of my favorite writers, Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom, NY Times opinion writer (among other things!) who recently explored crypto with a sociological focus (I studied sociology in college so this approach was VERY up my alley, and fresh!).

Side note: every creative person should check out her recent Rap Portraits segment here!!!

Here are her three essays in chronological order from when they dropped: #1, #2, and #3.

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Kevin Roose’s The Latecomer’s Guide to Crypto 

Kevin Roose emerged as the NY Times’ crypto guy in my mind since maybe the summer. While he’s written some interesting stories/podcast episodes in the past, I didn’t feel like I was learning anything new from him that I wasn’t picking up elsewhere.

Enter The Latecomer’s Guide to Crypto that just dropped this month, which I would recommend to people of ANY experience level with this stuff. This thing is thorough af, and he starts at the beginning. Beyond explaining the history and technology of web3, he covers a lot of FAQs, including ones about crypto’s environmental impact, if it’s a pyramid scheme or not (loll! Oh god I hope not), and MORE! I am still making my way through it but I can definitively say there is something to learn here for everybody.

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What questions do you still have? Is some learning only possible through experience? Hmu on the blockchain I MEAN Twitter!

xo C