Reddit was built for Web 2.0, but it has a clear role to play in Web3, according to Rachel Weber Callaway, director of consumer product marketing.

Reddit is mostly run by the people who contribute to all the niche communities called subreddits. So, it was natural for Reddit to experiment with decentralized technology last year, when it launched collectible avatars. The NFT program now has more than 7 million participants, making it perhaps the most successful adoption of NFTs in social media.

“As Web3 started to come to the surface, all of us at Reddit could see the natural parallels between the way people were talking about Web3 and about the way we often talk and think about Reddit,” said Weber Callaway. “It’s a network of communities. It’s not centralized in any one place.”

The collectible avatars are powered by wallet technology developed by Reddit. Reddit creators can design digitally distinct versions of Snoo, the Reddit alien mascot, and distribute them to members of subreddits. “They can be used as your kind of identity token on the platform,” Weber Callaway explained.

Reddit has collaborated with popular NFT artists and brands, such as the NFL during the Super Bowl. “As we’re thinking about where this could potentially go,” Weber Callaway said, “it’s [about] how do we think about the way that community members indicate their roles inside the community? People may want to have more dialed-in roles, so there are items in their [NFT] wallet that could indicate that, and it could also give them potentially different permissions inside their communities.”

What advice would you give to teens about using social media today? 

You should be in control of your own destiny, so know that what you put out there will always probably exist—or prepare for it to always exist. And it’s OK if you change your mind and you don’t identify with it in the future, but you need to know that [the internet] is a timestamp that is out there in perpetuity. Feeling that sense of ownership when you show up online is really important.

How is new technology changing the way you work? 

Generative AI is the thing that’s going to have the biggest impact. What impact? We don’t know yet—everything from the way we write emails, or hopefully no longer have to write emails, to the way our [Reddit] communities form and function. One day there may be a moderator built into every single community on Reddit that is AI-trained.

What piece of technology could you absolutely not live without? 

It would be my smart TV. I love TV. My background is primarily in entertainment, and it’s ultimately how I got into Reddit. I needed to discuss my shows somewhere. It’s very LA of me. 

What is the biggest technical leap you’ve had to adjust to in your career and how did you do it? 

For my day-to-day role, it’s not so much a technological advancement, but what’s so unique about doing product marketing at Reddit, or even just product development in general, is the speed and depth at which our community will share their feelings—immediately and without any sort of filter. It’s a blessing and a curse. We get constant feedback, and we have an incredibly invested community. It means that as we build marketing campaigns, and are thinking about bringing products to market, we cannot neglect our community.