They didn’t expect to receive the backlash when National Geographic released its first NFT collection. The magazine, which is nature-centric, hoped that its readers would embrace NFTs. The magazine’s efforts have been devoted to animals like apes which are very popular in the NFT space.
The magazine published a picture of a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT to its social media accounts on Monday. This caused problems. It was intended to prepare its large audience in advance of the launch of its Genesis Collection on Polygon. The NFT Collection features 16 top photographers including Catch Simard and John Knof.
But things didn’t turn out as planned. There was a commotion in the comments section when NFTs were mentioned on its social media accounts. They were called scams by some and many other profanities were used. Some people with an inkling of the technology said that the NFT bubble was already burst. Many others also urged the magazine not to publish the articles.
Problems with technical issues didn’t help
It is not surprising that National Geographic’s core audience doesn’t know much about blockchain technology or its innovations. Most of the audience’s concerns reflect what digital assets have endured as they attempt to revolutionize many aspects our lives.
National Geographic was also criticised for technical problems encountered during the NFT minting process. Snowcrash, the platform that was used to mint NFTs, had difficulties fulfilling customer requests.
After trying for six hours to make it work, one Twitter user named Torpedo called the effort a “complete failure”.
Others have also criticised the incompatibility of Snowcrash. This means that Nat Geo NFTs can only be traded on one platform.
Perspective plays an important role. NFTs were prominent in the bull market. NFTs were endorsed by celebrities and other notable individuals, resulting in wide coverage. Many people struggled to understand the technology.
Ryan Hawthorne is an artist who previously released Ethereum NFTs via the Sotheby’s auction houses. He defended the Nat Geo collection from the backlash. “Welcome, to the comments section, where there will be a lot people criticizing things that they don’t understand.”
National Geographic’s First NFT Launch Backfires originally appeared on NFT News Today.
