Airdrops have been the recent Web3 earning meta for Filipinos in 2024. From 6-figure airdrops from Jupiter, Arbitrum, and Wormhole, people who have missed out are eager to pursue the next big airdrop. ZFT, short for ZeeFreaks Tribe, has created an event called “Mastering Airdrops With ZFT” that aims to educate participants on how to spot airdrops and participate in them. However, this event has received massive negative feedback from the Web3 community calling it an idiotic decision to participate. Why? This article aims to find out just that.

What’s the fuss all about?

In a viral post on March 22 at 1:40pm, Myles Tan, an invited resource speaker, advertised the said event and caused an uproar aimed against it from the community.

The Web3 community has reacted negatively; it is requiring participants to pay ₱3,000 to attend the event that is focused on maximizing airdrops, which are usually free. A paid event on airdrops is in itself is contradictory to the nature of airdrops in the perspective of the community. 

Comments from the community

As the event sparked a negative reaction from the community, people gathered on Facebook to comment on their distaste. One user commented “Easy one click lang yan guys, wag pauto. Kayang gawin ang airdrops ng libre, WALANG BAYAD!” pointing out the event’s contradictory nature.

Bitdigest decided to reach out to a reputable Web3 leader who decided to be anonymous. They expressed their distaste for the event, calling it a simple money grab. On how ZFT handled and pushed the event, the anonymous Web3 leader expressed “They've moved away from the basics of what they teach. It's all about money for them now, forgetting about quality. They're only after more enrollees, focusing on quantity over quality.” 

The community and other Web3 leaders believe that it is more than just a paid event, but an attack on the public’s view on Cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency has had a long-standing stigma from the Filipino people, calling it a scam due to the rugged or failed projects. Failed cryptocurrency projects such as Surf Shark, Bomb Crypto, and many more have dealt a blow to the Filipino community in their cryptocurrency investment journey. If the event is lackluster in providing decent value based on its cost, the fear of further worsening the stigma of cryptocurrency as a cluster of scams remains.

ZFT’s side of the story

The event’s organizer, ZeeFreaks Tribe, has a different vision with different goals of the event. Bitdigest has requested comments from ZFT President & CEO, George Isaac Asibal, regarding the current situation of the event and how they are handling the backlash. 

According to George, “Looking at how things went, I'm actually okay with the results. It's impressive to be honest as we're now viral in the local crypto community. You can say that the task failed successfully and now, we have a good opportunity to showcase what we have to offer to a larger community that might need our services and are tired of free stuff. It's also a good filter for us because we cater to a specific niche of people.”

If providing knowledge on how to unlock future potential 7-digit airdrops will cost ₱3,000, ZFT continues to be adamant and stands firm on their pricing. ZFT believes that the value provided by the workshop heavily outweighs the cost of admission. ZFT believes the backlash from the community on the pricing will be beneficial to their event.

George affirms their decision on their pricing with this statement: “I believe our prices for our various products are fair. If people cannot afford certain services we provide, then they can opt for our free content - like our weekly show called Monday Market Updates where we discuss different opportunities in Crypto. It's also a good filter for us because we cater to a specific niche of people. If many saw our post and concluded on things based on the assumptions and opinions of others without verifying themselves, then those people probably aren't our market”

Conclusion

As the issue continues to brew on social media, the Web3 community continues to express their distaste for the event. Many call out ZFT as a way to “milk” participants through their pricing. The community expresses that there are better learning opportunities that are free and easily accessible through content being published by cryptocurrency educators or a simple search on google for a comprehensive airdrop tutorial.

However, ZFT aims to monetize their services to those who are willing to avail them. ZFT believes that those who are looking to participate and pay for the event will in return, receive value that outweighs the price.

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