Donald Trump, who was once crypto’s most vocal opponent, is busy creating what some are dubbing a crypto empire. NFTs and DeFi projects such as WLFI, stablecoins, and even Bitcoin mining – it’s the new normal. And while headlines focus on millions made, potential conflicts of interest, and regulatory concerns, we need to ask a deeper, more uncomfortable question: Is this crypto boom being built, at least in part, on the backs of underpaid and uncredited artists in Southeast Asia?
Digital Sweatshops Or New Opportunities?
Let’s be clear: the blockchain could be a revolutionary tool for artists. This strategy gets them direct access to their markets. It eliminates predatory intermediaries and ensures they get paid fairly for the services they provide. Is that what’s actually happening? Yet, are we not experiencing a greater and more insidious wave of digital exploitation? Now they hire talented artists in developing countries to make those digital assets for a few cents each, increasing the profits for ventures like Trump’s.
Think about it: the rise of NFTs has created a huge demand for digital art. Who is creating that art? Often, it's artists in countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam, where the cost of living is lower, and competition is fierce. Sometimes people are seduced by a promise of exposure and opportunity. 4,000 graphic designers They soon find out that real life means punishing deadlines, poor compensation, and very little control over their own work.
I am curious if the pops of color and detailed designs in this work, similar to so many NFT projects, are a product of these artists’ lived experiences and cultural backgrounds. Or further stripped-down forms, intended solely as commoditized aesthetics to draw western investors.
The Trump family’s alleged real estate-backed blockchain MMORPG, similar to “MONOPOLY GO !” This theory comes in even a little short of making sense. Will it have cultural influences from Southeast Asia? And if it does, will those elements be featured in a respectful way, and will the artists be properly paid and credited? Or will it just be another instance of cultural appropriation and exploitation?
Echoes Of The Past, Digital Future
There's an unexpected connection here: this situation mirrors historical patterns of exploitation in other industries. Take a look at the fast fashion industry. Labor exploitation garment workers in developing countries are subjected to dangerous working environments and pitiful pay as they manufacture inexpensive apparel for Western shoppers to consume. Are we just doing the same thing with this model, just moving it online?
What if the next big scandal isn’t about market manipulation, but about bad ethical sourcing?
Take the WLFI token sale, which raised an insane $550 million. A “substantial share” was set aside as down payment on Trump and his associates’ “management fees.” How much of that money is getting through to the artists? These creators are an integral part of creating the look and feel of the platform and its promotional assets. Are they getting a fair return on the value they add, or are they being dumped on like a non-replaceable factor of production?
Power Dynamics: Whose Liberty Is It?
The name “World Liberty Financial” starts to sound a little different once you understand the power structure that could be involved. Liberty for whom? Sure does look like freedom for the folks at the very top. The involvement of Zach Witkoff, son of a Trump administration envoy, further underscores the connections between wealth, power, and potential exploitation.
We must be willing to critically interrogate the narratives that are being constructed around these projects. And are they really doing all that much to empower artists? Or are they simply repackaging new forms of exploitation in an even shinier blockchain wrapper?
We need to demand transparency. Let’s meet these artists and learn how they’re making a living. We need to expose what rights they retain over their creations. We must start to hold these innovations accountable to the overarching goals of equitable labor and ethical sourcing.
It was important for us during the show to really amplify the voices of Southeast Asian artists. We need to hear their stories, understand their challenges, and support their efforts to create a more equitable and just digital economy. This is a golden opportunity to engage with some incredible Southeast Asian artist collectives. Let’s give them stages on which to display their performances and inventions, and help navigate the NFT Wild West.
Or perhaps, it’s time to just start asking what’s wrong with the entire approach we’re taking. Have we become so shortsighted by the prospect of profit that we’re prepared to overlook the human toll? Is this the future we truly want to create?
The recent boom and bust of the Trump MEME coin left many investors burned. What occurs when the glimmer fades away from this crypto kingdom? Otherwise, the artists that built it will be left holding empty bags, their artistry exploiting them, their voices silenced forever.
It's time we start asking these questions, before it's too late. Before a new generation of creators gets lost on the path to corporate greed.
