rewrite this title Should We Put a Price on Everything? The Ethics of Tokenizing Human Actions

For as long as humanity has existed, we have been obsessed with ownership. From land to homes, from treasures won in battle to human lives once cruelly claimed, the desire to possess has shaped societies and fueled ambitions. Ownership has never been just about having—it has been about status, control, and the silent power that wealth bestows in a world where material possessions often dictate social worth.

The rules have always been clear: to own something, it must be given to you by one who truly possesses it, or you must buy it, exchanging value for claim. Once claimed, ownership demands proof — documents bearing official seals, spoken declarations, and a society’s collective acknowledgement, amongst others. 

But technology is rewriting these old certainties. In the age of blockchain and decentralization, ownership is no longer bound by paper and ink or by handshakes and solemn witnesses. Digital spaces, once thought intangible, now host value in ways we are still beginning to understand. The very notion of possession is evolving, forcing us to question what it truly means to own something in a world that is increasingly defined by code rather than borders. 

Blockchain, the technology behind decentralization on the internet, has brought about a shift in the way we see ownership, and one such shift is the concept of “tokenization” —the idea that one can represent parts of a physical asset like lands, houses, personal items, etc as a token on a blockchain to the end that it can be bought or possessed. 

But aside from tokenising assets, there’s also the concept of doing the same for human actions. So, things like cleaning, cooking and all the other mundane tasks that form the framework of our day-to-day lives, our social interactions, and personal achievements can be represented in a way that can be tradable.

The first semblance of this novel-type ownership was in 2013 when Micheal Mirrell came up with a social experiment to divide himself into 100,000 shares of $1 each and let users on the internet buy a stake in his life. Since then, he managed to sell off 11,823 shares of himself to investors all over the world, with these shareholders being complete strangers and having a say in decisions like who to vote for, who to date, how much sleep to get per night, etc.

Value has always been determined by gatekeepers—institutions, corporations, powerful individuals deciding what skills, labor, and even reputation are worth. But now, with blockchain technology, we have the opportunity to take ownership of ourselves in ways never before possible.

A world where a person’s time is not dictated by an employer’s salary bracket but by a decentralized market of willing participants, where skills are not confined to rigid contracts and can be freely exchanged, is one that holds a myriad of promises.

In such a world, human effort is no longer an invisible force taken for granted and unrecognized but one that is accounted for. One that is valued and is owned by the individual.

While it is easy to dismiss this as an overreach of technology or an intrusion of the market into the vestiges of human dignity, it may not be the case, as we already operate in a system where value is constantly assigned to human actions. Employers exchange money for labour; influencers are rewarded for their reach, etc. The only difference is that these transactions are often opaque and controlled by institutions rather than individuals. In cases like this, tokenization might not necessarily introduce a new system but a restructuring of power and redistribution of who gets to determine value. 

Through tokenized labour markets, individuals could monetize their contributions transparently, receiving real-time compensation for the value they generate. Whether it’s creative work, problem-solving, or social influence, tokenization could allow for frictionless transactions that bypass intermediaries, ensuring that those who contribute directly reap the benefits.

RELATED: Data Tokenization: What It Is and Why It Matters

Beyond labour, tokenization has the potential to redefine reputation and credibility. Traditionally, professional achievements and skills are validated through degrees, corporate positions, or centralized rating systems, often making it difficult for individuals to prove their capabilities outside of these structures. However, with on-chain credentials and decentralized reputation systems, people could showcase their expertise in a verified, tamper-proof manner—creating a meritocratic economy where skills and experience speak louder than affiliations.

There might lie inherent fairness to this in that a world where people are not at the mercy of centralized corporations and can issue tokens representing their own potential and capabilities will redefine what fairness in labour is. 

A world where reputation is decentralized and measured by transparent metrics rather than the whispers of elite circles is a world of accountability. One where volunteerism, activism, and creative contributions are recognized not just in words but in tangible assets is a world that incentivizes social good.

There is something unsettling about the idea of assigning a price to human actions. We have always had matrices to measure human worth, whether through wages, titles, accolades or what not, but one cannot shake off the feeling that tokenizing human actions will do. The transformation of human experience into a tradable asset isn’t just a foray into the bizarre, it is a line crossed in the pursuit of innovation. 

Imagine a world where a person’s time is fractionalized and auctioned off like company shares. Where acts of kindness are no longer selfless but transactions awaiting redemption. Where a person’s reputation fluctuates in real time, influenced not by their intrinsic character but by a market dictated by the whims of anonymous buyers. It is a world that strips away the quiet dignity of human interaction and replaces it with the cold logic of speculation.

It is easy to admire the ingenuity of it all. The blockchain, after all, is a marvel—an unbreakable ledger, a system of trust without intermediaries and yet, the idea of tokenizing human actions gnaws at something deeper. What happens to the value of generosity when it is turned into a tradeable commodity? What happens to freedom when one’s future is bound to digital contracts enforced not by law, but by code?

There is something insidious about the idea that every action must be incentivized, that we must extract economic value from the very fabric of our existence. In tokenizing our skills, our labour, our reputation, we begin to treat ourselves not as people but as assets to be optimized and traded, and with that comes a quiet erosion of something intangible yet essential—the ability to act without expectation of reward, to give without calculation, to be human without a price tag.

We are told that this is progress, that tokenization will democratize access to opportunities, and that it will allow individuals to profit from their own potential in ways previously unimaginable, but at what cost? What does it mean when a person’s worth is no longer measured by their integrity, kindness, or intellect but by the fluctuations of a digital market? When our lives become a series of transactions, do we lose the essence of what it means to truly live?

While blockchain tokenization has shaped finance and ownership, applying it to human actions raises ethical questions of our collective vision as a society. Do we really want to live in a world where individual actions exist as a price tag on the internet, or do we already live in such a world? While proponents argue that it democratizes access to work and skills, critics warn it risks turning people into speculative assets.

Whether we choose to acknowledge the subtleties in our society that blockchain tokenization will improve or erode, one thing is clear: the idea of ownership is one that will continue to redefine itself along many various talking points, and if this will bring about a collective good or sequester the fabrics of modern society is one that can only be told by time, in time. 

Disclaimer: This piece is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be considered trading or investment advice. Nothing herein should be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Trading or investing in cryptocurrencies carries a considerable risk of financial loss. Always conduct due diligence.

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