The meme: Zoe Roth, the girl termed as the ‘disaster girl’ meme in 2005. Her meme has made her almost half a million dollars after she sold the original copy’s rights in a non-fungible token. This is another sign that the market for NFT’s and digital rights has soared in recent times, especially since the pandemic began.
"Disaster Girl" has sold her popular meme as an NFT for $500,000 https://t.co/UnrKNWmG3Y pic.twitter.com/UH1xvSGXRo
— The Verge (@verge) April 29, 2021
NFTs and their impact: NFT’s contain a unique segment of digital code as an identifier of authenticity. This gives digital art a way to be tracked to the original owner and help them keep their ownership rights. Memes have become a major way of making cash as seen with recent examples where NFT sales have made original owners money like the ‘Grumpy Cat’, ‘Success Kid’, and ‘Doge’ in sums of over $2 million.
Roth’s reaction: Roth is now 21, and studies at the University of North Carolina. She has said that she will use the money to donate to charities and pay off on student loans.
Disaster girl’s plan all along pic.twitter.com/brVTf8OlHe
— Tielle (@tielliebon) April 30, 2021
She has said that memes are a weird concept, and once you turn into one you can’t control how it pans out. The experience can be great or horrible, but you just have to make the most out of it.