In the last decade, we’ve seen major technological shifts—but remarkably little change in how fans and creators truly connect. Platforms have grown louder and algorithms smarter, yet the elements that once made fan culture meaningful—recognition, memory, and participation—have been flattened into fleeting likes and scrolls.
The next era of the internet will reverse that trend. And it will do so by rebuilding the infrastructure of fandom itself.
At Endless Protocol, our mission has always been to bridge today’s internet with the decentralized future—embedding ownership, identity, and programmability into experiences people already care about. One of the most promising expressions of that vision is Luffa, a new messaging-native platform designed not to host fan engagement, but to power it.
From Feed-Based Culture to Memory-Based Commerce
Social platforms were built to amplify content, not to remember people. Every action is temporary. Fans are forced to start over in each app, with little continuity or recognition.
What if digital identity could remember who you are—and reward how you show up?
Luffa creates a persistent, wallet-native “fan graph” that logs actions like chats, tips, quests, and events. These aren’t just engagement points—they’re part of your personal history. Over time, that history becomes a reputation layer others can read, reward, and build on.
Studies of behavioral loyalty systems show that sustained participation—rather than one-off actions—drives deeper emotional connection and long-term retention. Luffa turns loyalty into infrastructure.
Messaging as Operating System
Luffa looks like a messaging app. But under the hood, it’s an identity layer, loyalty engine, and creator interface rolled into one. Fans use it to interact, earn, and unlock. Creators use it to launch campaigns, distribute perks, and get paid. Brands plug in to offer rewards tied to real behavior.
Because identity lives in the wallet, users control it. This aligns with growing support for self-sovereign identity—where data is user-owned and portable across applications.
In Luffa, each interaction enriches that identity. Memory becomes programmable. Loyalty becomes visible. Messaging becomes infrastructure.
When Loyalty Leaves the Screen
What happens when this programmable identity connects to the physical world?
Imagine checking into a hotel and unlocking exclusive artist content—because your wallet shows you’ve been to past shows. Or scanning a QR code on merch that drops you into a live campaign. Or joining a SuperGroup chat at a concert venue and earning rewards for real-world participation.
These are already being piloted through global entertainment and hospitality networks—using Luffa as the connective tissue between in-person experiences and on-chain identity. It reflects a growing shift toward phygital experiences, where the digital layer enhances physical presence.
With Luffa, a fan’s loyalty can be activated anywhere—at events, through merchandise, or during travel. It transforms space itself into a medium for identity expression.
A New Stack for Creators and Brands
Luffa isn’t just a fan tool—it’s a stack for the entire creator economy.
Today, creators are spread across Discord, Patreon, Shopify, and social media—with no unified system for audience identity or engagement history. Luffa simplifies this by giving creators one dashboard to run campaigns, manage fans, drop content, and receive payments.
Because fans carry their identity and perks with them, loyalty becomes cumulative. A tip in one chat can lead to perks in another. Past participation unlocks future access. Brands, meanwhile, can structure campaigns around verifiable engagement—not algorithmic reach.
The broader implication? A new loyalty graph underpins culture—not just commerce. Systems like Luffa offer brands high-signal interactions, creators direct access, and fans a persistent record of who they are across digital and physical channels.
Institutions as Infrastructure
Some of the most impactful deployments of Luffa are happening not through individual artists or brands, but through global institutions—those with deep ties to music, media, travel, and lifestyle. These partners aren’t just adopting loyalty tools. They’re becoming cultural infrastructure.
By integrating Luffa into their venues, platforms, and events, they can onboard fans into identity-aware ecosystems without requiring wallets or Web3 knowledge. Loyalty is earned at the point of action—whether that’s attending a show, checking into a hotel, or scanning an activation code.
These partnerships signal a shift from “fan engagement” as a marketing function to loyalty as an asset class. One that can be measured, monetized, and most importantly—owned by the fans themselves.
Why Now
We’re at an inflection point. The Web2 model—where platforms own the audience, and creators rent it—has begun to break down. Attention is commodified. Loyalty is fragmented. Identity is spread across dozens of services.
The next wave of platforms won’t be judged by scale alone. They’ll be evaluated by how well they remember, reward, and reflect their users. Luffa meets this moment by enabling a system where fandom is not just an emotion—it’s an identity.
This isn’t about “fixing” social media. It’s about rebuilding what comes after.
The Persistent Companion Fans Didn’t Know They Were Missing
Fans don’t need another feed. They need a home. A digital companion that reflects their identity, recognizes their contributions, and gives them credit for showing up—not just watching.
Luffa doesn’t compete with social media. It redefines the layer underneath. It’s where wallet, identity, and memory converge into programmable loyalty. And it’s already being deployed at scale.
With each message, tip, scan, and moment, fans aren’t just participating—they’re building something. Something they own. Something they can carry. And something that makes fandom mean more.
(ProfessorYu Xiong is President and Chief Scientist of Endless Protocol, the only Web3 startup to reach unicorn status in 2025. He is Chair of Business Analytics and Associate Vice-President at the University of Surrey and has co-founded more than 40 innovation-driven companies globally.)
