Information tokens & economies powered by Ethereum +IPFS

The world is becoming tokenized. With the explosive advent of Blockchain technology, it is becoming increasingly evident that securing physical and digital goods on immutable ledgers opens up new dimensions and possibilities. Securing information on the Ethereum blockchain empowers applications with secure, immutable storage and open-ended functionality via smart contacts. The coin and token explosion is currently only available to the few with the skill sets to program with blockchains. Counterparty is an example of a network allowing for easy token creation atop the Bitcoin blockchain for any user, but is clunky and hard to scale due to the inherent limitations of manipulating information on top of Bitcoin. We sought to answer these problems by atomizing information with the power of tokens to make it easily accessible to all — thus the Archetype Network was born.

Enter, Archetype

The Archetype Network is a collection of smart-contracts and decentralized web applications enabling users to generate their own tokens. At it’s core, Archetype is comprised of the Meme Generation Engine (MGE), Information Decentralized Exchanged (In-DEX), and a token block-explorer & content-aggregator service known as Noosphere.

The MGE allows users to generate their own tokens and upload a media file on IPFS. The hash of the media file is stored natively in your token. Users can also add descriptive text and set the amount of their token’s issuance.

The In-DEX is the market system with which users can buy and sell their tokens atop the Ethereum blockchain. Bids and asks for any token are sent as transactions and stored on Ethereum. The network of all bids and asks for tokens comprises the In-DEX.

Noosphere is one part block explorer, one part token wallet, and one part content-aggregator service. The front page of Noosphere is a feed of user generated Archetype Network tokens. Your Noosphere frontpage is fully customizable based on search parameters such as newness, popularity, token information, and more. Users can browse through Noosphere and create their own custom curations of content. Each token will have an upvote system to filter content and viewable live market data from the In-DEX. This creates an easily parsed network of information tokens allowing users to explore content relevant to their interests.

After generating your token on the MGE, simply fuel the smart contract, and receive your personalized tokens at your Ethereum address. A market is instantly created on the In-DEX where people can exchange your information token. Your token is simultaneously filtered onto Noosphere and becomes discoverable by a global network of peers.

Decentralized Information Types

The Archetype network is built upon a three-tiered information paradigm. The first two tiers of information are created as Ethereum tokens which follow the same basic rules of the network, but are separated by a few key differences in function. The third tier increases informational connectivity.

The first tier is called Archetypes, which are decentrally distributed information tokens representing large ideas non-specific to an individual user and are often referenced. For example, the meme of ‘Doge’, ‘United States’ or ‘Blockchain’ are large, general concepts that might be best represented as Archetypes. Archetypes are distributed via decentralized auctions where users pay Ether to receive a percentage of the total token in question, relative to the total amount of Ether in the auction bounty. This ensures that all users have the potential to own shares in popular Archetypes without a single user hoarding them all. Inherently decentralized in nature, the Archetypes form natural markets around the interest in the information which they represent.



The second tier is called Subtypes. Subtypes are generated by individual users who receive the entire token balance of their creation. Subtypes can be individual memes, works of art, shares of a private business, or any other user-centric information token one might imagine. All Subtypes must be registered under a corresponding Archetype with a small fee paid to the Archetype Network to run the smart contracts. The default Archetype is the ARX Token itself.



When creating a Subtype, users will have the option to include a number of Tags embedded in their token. Tags operate similarly to hashtags on Twitter and increase the connectivity of the token to other tokens throughout the Archetype network while using search functions.



Archetypes, Subtypes, and Tags together create a sprawling memetic topology — an interconnection of memes and information, the network effect of which is the information economy.

Smart Information Standard

Archetype is a canvas atop which information comes to life. We envision a future in which all businesses and services in all sectors of our lives are built atop networks of smart information. Imagine social media aggregators with no censorship, markets with no central choke points, and ideas without borders. Tokens are property, tokens are sovereignty, and tokens will help to support a new economy of empowered individuals.

More resources available on the website here, and BTC [ANN] thread here.