Tokens have increasingly more popular beyond just in the crypto world *gang gang mmm ice cream so good*. Tokens are not new, but how they have been used and their proliferation have exploded with the rise of digital platforms.

I spoke to Rachel O'Dwyer, writer and a lecturer in Digital Cultures in the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and author of Tokens: The Future of Money in the Age of the Platform. I gave a recommendation of the book because I think it pairs well with my own book!

During the interview we spoke about the history of tokens well before the internet, how tokens are both more and less than money, and the way tokens have been used for social control. We also talk about the affordances of tokens and some advice for those designing tokens.

If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you find content like this important consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. It takes quite a lot of my time and resources so any amount helps. Follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist) or Mastodon (@theblockchainsocialist@social.coop) and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit and Discord to join the discussion.

Send me your questions or comments about the show and I'll read them out sometime.

ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix It and is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking.

The book is officially published and you use this linktree to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.

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