Zora launches 'attention markets' on Solana

Zora, a crypto social platform closely associated with the Ethereum layer-2 network Base, is launching a new product on Solana, according to an announcement on Tuesday.

The team is introducing its “attention markets”, allowing users to speculate on which topics and trends will gain traction online, effectively letting so-called SocialFi traders go long or short on social media virality.

According to a brief “how it works” section on the Zora website, users can create “Markets on any topic, meme, idea, or moment gaining attention. Take positions on what's trading or start a new market.”

“Add any related link directly to a market. Markets and pairs move and trade together — more pairs, more attention, more upside,” the website reads. “Build and hold positions across markets and pairs. Track PNL in real-time. Cash out anytime.”

A promotional video shows users betting on the social media trend for “longevity” paired with tokens for $redlight $coldplunge $shrooms and $peptides. The Zora frontend also shows markets for attentionmarkets, up over 5,500% today, and dogs, up over 300%, though both currently show limited trading volume. 

Zora is known for experiments bridging crypto and the creator economy, including an early NFT marketplace and more recently Base-based “creator coins”, which allowed traders to speculate on individual social media posts and creator profiles.

Other startups are also exploring the emerging world of attention markets, including the Base-based Noise, which raised a $7.1 million seed round led by Paradigm.