[mmaunder]

The most interesting aspect of NFTs IMO is that they explore what ownership really means.

Is it physically possessing something? Is it a receipt? Is it provenance? Is it the ability to destroy something permanently? Is it the ability to deny others access? Is it irrefutable and verifiable proof, without trusting any single entity, that an entity holds an exclusive status relative to a good?

[NelsonMinar]

Yes, but this discussion about "ownership" goes back literally thousands of years. And 100+ years in the modern age of copyright and information reproduction. There is a whole lot of established precedent and knowledge and thought on the subject. The NFT world acts mostly ignorant of it, perhaps because they're much more interested in scamming people out of money than contributing to our culture of information.

[max48]

it's none of these things because all you buy is an hyperlink. If the art itself was hosted on the blockchain directly (they are not, it would be too expensive), then it would be interesting.

[vmception]

some are. some people care about completely onchain art.

minting a completely image onchain is also not too expensive and can also be passed on to the community, as most relevant NFT collections are minted by the community and not the artist. people stand up their own websites for this, the people minting their own artwork directly on the marketplaces are their own segment and that has remained a race to the bottom with starving artists crowding it.

[tagami]

NFTs aside, this is a solid question: "what is ownership"?

[swalsh]

It's a pretty simple question. It's control. As the owner of an asset, I have control over how I use it. I own a house, I can control what I do to it (within the limits of the outside laws). I own a source repository, I can control what changes are accepted. I own a domain, I can control what it points to. I own a digital soward in a game, I can sell it or I can use it in game.

Ownership has limits, in the real world those are regulated by the government. In the digital world they can be regulated by a DAO. But ultimately, there are benefits of ownership, and responsibilities to ownership.