Whether you like it or not, NFTs are making their way to Instagram soon. Mark Zuckerberg stated that digital collectibles would be coming to Instagram “in the near term” during speaking at SXSW.
“We’re working on bringing NFTs to Instagram in the near term,” Zuckerberg said. He didn’t detail exactly how that would take shape but suggested people would be able to show off their existing NFTs and potentially mint new ones. “I’m not ready to kind of announce exactly what that’s going to be today. But over the next several months, the ability to bring some of your NFTs in, hopefully over time be able to mint things within that environment.”
NFTs had previously caught the attention of Zuckerberg and other executives, with Instagram’s senior executive Adam Mosseri stating that the company was “actively exploring” the technology. In January, the Financial Times reported that the company expected to include NFTs into its crypto wallet Novi.
NFTs could one day play a part in the company’s future metaverse, according to Zuckerberg, who spoke on Tuesday. “I’d hope that the clothing that your avatar wear in the metaverse can be basically minted as an NFT and you can take it between your different places,” he added. “There’s like a bunch of technical things that need to be worked out before it can really be seamless to happen.”
Zuckerberg, who was known for wearing the same grey t-shirt every day, also said that he now shops mostly on Instagram and Facebook. “I probably bought most of the stuff I wear through Instagram, Facebook Shops, or ads,” he explained.
