I’m QuHarrison Terry, author of The Metaverse Handbook. Throughout the book, I talk in great detail about how cryptocurrency and social tokens are being used to fund communities and tackle real-world problems. Researching and writing about the topic inspired me to launch a token of my own back in May 2022 called $1Q9X, which exists to improve youth literacy.
The Problem with Reading
66% of all students in the US cannot read at their grade level. By allowing our youth to fall behind in reading, we are allowing them to underachieve. We’re failing our kids and the effects will be felt for decades to come.
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” – President Harry S. Truman
Literacy is not just about getting through school. It affects how we progress as people, how we grasp new ideas, and how we communicate with others. Literacy is the basis for achievement in all areas of adulthood, from professional to personal. And with the well of readers drying up, we are at risk of being deficient in the next class of leaders that will usher in advances for humanity.
As an author, I naturally care a lot about this problem. I’ve made my mark on this world at the crossroads of technology and writing. However, I’m aware that reading is boring. Illiteracy afflicts us because there are more interesting things to capture our attention. $1Q9X exists to change this problem.
How We Can Change Reading
1Q9X is tackling the youth illiteracy epidemic by fundamentally changing how reading is experienced. We are a collective of future thinkers who are funding, envisioning, and experimenting with new ways to take reading beyond the book and into mixed-reality formats. Reading needs an update. 1Q9X is ushering in the era of blockchain-based reading experiences.
We’ve seen the blockchain completely reinvent video game models through blockchain gaming, so why can’t the same be true for reading?
Blockchain-based reading experiences are based on two principles: contribution and ownership. Neither of these principles has existed in reading before. However, through the $1Q9X DAO, token holders will have a say in how stories unfold and are told – much like a Choose Your Own Adventure story that is waiting to be written. The $1Q9X token also imbues ownership in IP that the community creates. These are fundamental changes to the reading experience.
Regarding how $1Q9X is changing the act of reading, we are guided by the doctrine: Experience what you read. Read what you experience. With this doctrine, we aren’t limited by any technology or idea that enhances the relationship between words and readers.