Post by @paulburke • Hey
**The Downsides of Lens Network**
The general sentiment on the newly announced Lens Network seems to be overwhelmingly positive. However, it’s not all goo
Comments
- Thanks for this; we need more people speaking and discussing this.
Let me address some of these points:
**Network effect**
ZK chains inherit the liquidity from other ZK chains. In turn, that means the zkSync Era chain which has tons of liquidity already deployed to it and native support for USDC (+ most tokens). Each ZK chain can freely use the liquidity of each ZK chain. In turn, this means that as more services/protocols support zkSync Era, Lens Network inherits that support. Also, tons and tons of other ZK chains are planned and coming, in turn, again, as they onboard and bring their users, liquidity and services, Lens network will benefit from it all. This gives a better network effect than we currently have on Polygon. In turn, these services can be deployed to Lens network directly. We will also add that Lens Network is an EVM-compatible chain, so using the Lens Network will be as easy as using Polygon, which will be even easier as we build incredible onboarding and wallet tools.
**Tokens**
Bridging will be supported from day one, and we will make this as easy as possible for people to do; when coming from Polygon > Lens network, the gas will be cheap and should not be a problem if we make it a 1 click process; it is like sending money from A > B. I hear you about the liquidity of a token created on Lens Network. It may not have liquidity elsewhere if you create your meme token on Lens Network but having the liquidity on the network probably is enough in itself. As ZK chains inherit each other, in turn, inheriting liquidity, you get this power of not a single network having to do it all. This fundamentally comes down to amazing UX and gasless experiences of bridging, but I do not think it takes away empowerment to create memecoin; I think it empowers it even more with distribution on all ZK chains instantly.
**Existing work**
Open actions will not work on the new network but it will be small changes to redeploy them to the Network. It will be harder if the services used in the open actions are not supported on the ZK chains, but I truly believe the end game is not OpenSea; the end game is native marketplaces built into the apps, and those experience layers can be created on Lens Network. I believe the Lens Network will open up even more cases for Open Actions, but I do agree existing integrations may not be doable from day 1 if that service is not living on Lens Network. We are making a list of providers and will chat with them about support, so if you have any ping them across.
**Builder fatigue**
I understand this and agree that it becomes harder for builders to keep migrating. Lens Network is the end game, and we really want to make something that can change the world. We will be creating more advanced tooling to improve the developer experience for builders and truly allow them to build something great. Maybe some apps will choose not to migrate, and some will, but in the end, we also get some new apps, and overall, every single successful thing in the world has had to shapeshift and make hard calls for a better future. We will be giving away grants to sponsor builders to migrate to bring that monetary incentive and will help with this every step of the way. The new protocol on the Lens Network will have the same concepts. It will just be an even better protocol which empowers even more innovation.
**Premature**
I would argue against this quite highly; we created Momoka as Polygon could not handle the traffic; even now, we are paying 10-50p per follow, post or any action on peak times of Polygon, as this is abstracted away from the user they do not feel it, but we have already hit the end of what's possible on Polygon. Momoka is, in turn, a great outside-thinking approach, but we are true believers in pure onchain ownership, something which is yours, something you can own, tokenise and use, just like your home, you can rent it out, just like your car, you can use it as a taxi, we want everything you do to have some form of ownership, and that's not possible even with the levels now. We can not truly build anything when John, down the road, can load his PC up, spam the network with Monkey NFTs, and take Lens down or force us to pay 50p per action. Polygon is a shared network. You are lucky to get 50TPS in the network if empty; Momoka is already doing 5-10TPS. We are forced to do offchain actions to allow us to scale hurting our end vision. Lens Network can handle 20-50x the TPS at 20-50x cheaper costs. We are hitting bottlenecks on the network layer and having to do workarounds for it; in turn, Lens Network we are the network layer, allowing us to innovate and fine-tune the network to be, as it should, a decentralised social network.
The real thing we should think about here is whether we truly want to change the world; if we know the setup we have right now is not going to make it due to scale and cost, in turn, we are seeing this already, why would we wait until more users onboard, more users give up because transactions are backed up, more users get a negative experience due to baseline Network layer factors. If we want to change the world, we must make the move now. If we stay on this train, every open action, app, and user will be worthless as the protocol will fail, and in turn, we all will fail.
Months of research have gone into this end goal, and we truly believe that with ZK tech and Lens Network, we can create something that solves the corporate-owned lead social we see today. It's not going to be easy; it's going to be an amazing and hard journey, but I truly am in this to change the foundations of socials.
Hope this insight helps
- I totally agree on the tech hustle and lack of monetary incentives, I'm just not sure I agree on the network effect. If I understood correctly, the protocol will be crosschain, being able to be published on any chain, including Polygon. It will actually boost the network effect.
On the monetary incentives, dapps can capture fees but Open Actions don't, right? There should be grants for Open Actions dev.
- we love infrastructure ;-)
as much as I think that validity (”zk”) rollups are the future and L3s are the place for social networks, as much do i hope that someone will build the dapps bringing “real” users onchain.
… and it feels far, far away.
- Really good breakdown Paul.
- these are some good points, there's a lot of work and ecosystem development that has to happen to kick start a new chain and in the beginning its gonna be tough. ultimately i think that on a much longer time frame its the right move. more cross chain open actions ought to make some things easier but those come with their own lift of course. i think if we can get uniswap and opensea or perhaps magic eden support then it ought to all work out in the long run
- Thank you @lens/paulburke for sharing your thoughts. I feel you do have some valid questions here. I would like to contribute to this conversation on 2 fronts.
**Builder fatigue**
I can related with the sentiment here. In my relatively short experience in blockchain, this is DeFi and web3 in general. If you don't innovate fast enough you become obsolete pretty quickly. Securing funds cannot depends on just the network/protocol incentives or grants. I am of the opinion that most successful products solve real life problems. Very often they need to be able to evolve in a very competitive landscape.
**Premature**
In think the 'billion users' is a nice 'side effect' of higher TPS and lower latency. I think we all experienced already occasional issues where the network was not able to support current users base transactions. Or, for one reason or the other, spikes in gas price did impact social interactions on Lens. So yes, Lens Network aims at billion users, but to me it's aiming to solve problems we do experience now before they get unmanageable.
- I can relate developer futigue, i am a single dev who had made @lens/diversehq web app and android app (it was communities focused app) in early v1, but with v2 every api call changed, most of the namings were changed this meant i had to write all the code again for both desktop and mobile apk (which were seperate codebase), this would take almost a month of time, and as a solo dev who likes to build many things, i decided to terminate the project and move on to building other things.
This wasn't just me many app and platforms as you mention terminated thier development after v2 and moved on. So v2 mainly flushed out most of the solo dev projects, like lensport, lensta, ...
Now that said, V2 was a really good upgrade from v1 and I hope it's the same for Lens Network.
The lens team is the best team to work with, out of all the teams i have worked with. Most teams work like a bank, open only on business days and expect a reply in 2-4 business days. While lens team has best dev support with actuall devs who knows entire codebase solving your issues, I remember josh helping someone with some issues while he was on vacation, idk if any web3 team has this kind of dedication. Not to mention the grants provided by lens , help a lot.
- Some valid points. Which will need to be addressed. While we like the vision and really hope we will need that scale the road to it can be rough for apps barely having resources
- I’m not skeptical but I’m very concerned about the transition
- To the point about the ‘struggling to attract 10K users …’
I don’t think this network is intuitive right now, there are a lot of variables and $bonsai is still very niche in its application (can’t tip like $degen).
If ZKSync can bring easy liquidity ramps for capital and Lens/Orb continues to attract high-end creative talent, I think it can work nicely.
Some of the ZKS Paymaster apps like Koi are a breeze to use, and very low fees. If you can easily move around Lens with $Bonsai let’s say and the move in and out via these types of apps, it would be much easier to transact on here.
Right now, I still can’t withdraw from my Orb wallet. I know that will change, just stating there is friction.
- Great in-depth review! Considering all the drawbacks, what are the benefits moving to zkSync?
- Thanks for the post on-chain gang
- This is published after in-depth research. It is of high value. I agree with some of the contents in the article and provide very thoughtful suggestions and explorations.
- Excellent breakdown!!
- Amazing post. I think we all needed to read this. I did the opposite on chatgpt+ for fun, any accuracy? But yeah builder fatigue. Honestly I build but I could use some lessons. I wish someone would come over and explain things a bit better, and I'm sure I could help build much better and quicker.
### **Positive Aspects of Lens Network**
#### **Innovation and Future Potential**
**Forward-Thinking Approach**:
Lens Network is preparing for massive user growth, aiming to support a billion users in the future. This foresight ensures that the infrastructure can handle significant scaling, which could be crucial as blockchain adoption increases.
#### **Independence and Control**
**Network Sovereignty**:
By moving away from Polygon, Lens Network gains more control over its ecosystem, allowing for customized optimizations and innovations that may not be possible within the constraints of an existing chain.
#### **Unique Value Proposition**
**Differentiation**:
Lens Network’s departure from Polygon allows it to establish a unique identity and potentially offer distinct features that set it apart from other networks. This differentiation could attract developers and users looking for new opportunities.
#### **Economic Opportunities**
**New Market Dynamics**:
With the introduction of a new chain, there are fresh opportunities for economic activity. Early adopters and developers have the chance to be pioneers in a new ecosystem, potentially reaping significant rewards as the network grows.
#### **Security and Efficiency**
**Enhanced Security**:
Developing a new network allows for the implementation of advanced security measures from the ground up. This can result in a more secure environment for users and developers.
**Optimized Performance**:
The Lens Network can be built with the latest technological advancements, ensuring optimal performance, lower latency, and reduced transaction costs.
#### **Community and Ecosystem Development**
**Dedicated Ecosystem**:
Establishing a new network fosters a tightly-knit community focused solely on the Lens ecosystem. This can lead to more collaboration, innovation, and support among developers and users.
#### **Long-Term Strategic Benefits**
**Strategic Positioning**:
In the long run, having its own network positions Lens for strategic advantages, such as potential partnerships, integrations, and innovations that align closely with its vision and goals.
**Network Effects Creation**:
Although challenging, building network effects from scratch can lead to a highly loyal and engaged user base. If successful, Lens Network could create a powerful, self-sustaining ecosystem.
### **Conclusion**
While the transition to a new network comes with challenges, the potential benefits for innovation, control, security, and strategic growth could make the Lens Network a significant player in the blockchain space. If any team can successfully navigate these challenges and create a thriving ecosystem, it's Avara.
- Most of your arguments make sense however, I have a slight feeling that you overestimate the network effect and the effective user base of Polygon. Personally, I believe almost any chain would be better than Polygon at this point.
The 10k DAU has two simple reasons:
1) Lens is non-speculative phenomena.
2) Polygon is an underdog. P
If we change any of these factors we can make fundamental changes in Lens' role in web3 DeSoc.
Creating Lens Network with zksync could change both factors simultaneously.
- L3s are a pain rn, but in the end everything traces back to Bitcoin, right? Is anyone else paying attention to runes development? Blif. Rosen Bridge. Cardano. AI. Interoperability is right around the corner, and we’re starting to see it unfold. Projects will come and go, just like all social networks. The difference is that your wallet will still contain your data. We’re early.
- maybe they see something we dont ! i agree @lens/zksync are being late but what if they come in with a banger ! we never know !
- I just cant motivate myself to actually get eth. Also doesn't a transaction cost like $ 20?