The Digital Human

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BBC Radio 4 FM

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Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

Aleks Krotoski explores the digital world

BBC Radio 4 LW

The Digital Human: Series 26: Token

Token

Series 26

BBC Radio 4 - The Digital Human, Series 26, Token

Aleks Krotoski finds out what happens when everything becomes a token.

Your online comments, your hobbies, your heartbeat. Aleks Krotoski finds out what happens when everything becomes a token in the online economy.

Economics has always been complicated, but the day to day stuff was always pretty straightforward. Make money from working, exchange that money for goods and services, save a bit for a rainy day if possible.

The online world changed things. Not so long ago, people were afraid to give their banking details to eBay, now people trade in currencies they will never hold in their hands, and are investing in non-fungible tokens.

NFTs, put simply, are items that are unique and can’t be replaced with something else. In comparison, a coin would be seen as fungible - traded one penny for another and you still have something worth a penny. NFTs can be traded for different NFTs - like trading cards - or eventually sold off for cash when the owner thinks they can get the best price.

Until recently, NFTs have been mostly made up of digital art, some music, even a Jack Dorsey Tweet, but we’re on the cusp of a new era in digital economics, one where everything could be made into a token - the likes and comments you leave on social media, the hobby you dive into on your off time, even your heart, or your mind.

Aleks finds out how the digital economy has changed so much in the last decade, and explores a future where everything - from your likes, your hobbies, even your heartbeat -  could be Tokenised and up for trade.

The Digital Human: Series 26

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

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The Digital Human

Series 26

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