# What Is A Network State

## Overview

New currencies, including cryptocurrencies, have been created. But until now, there was no easy way to create new societies, nations, and states. 

The Network State is an emerging concept; consider it a new form of civilization. 

Balaji Srinivasan offered an initial definition: 

A Network State beings with a startup society that organizes to become a Network Union, which is “a highly aligned online community with a capacity for collective action.” A Network Union becomes a Network State when “it crowdfunds territory worldwide and eventually gain diplomatic recognition from pre-existing States.”

For a deeper understanding, we suggest [the Network State Wiki](https://app.gitbook.com/o/0gcIfR6h7zg1xTLArrpK/s/INsrlnfz3ZQakiEgvXEN/), the original reference book by Balaji, [The Network State](https://www.thenetworkstate.com), and the commentary by Jur Founder Alessandro Palombo, the [Network State Revolution](https://storage.googleapis.com/jur-webiste/1/2022/10/The%20Network%20State%20Revolution.pdf).

{% hint style="info" %}

* ***`0-network`***: an aspirational social network startup with no users
* ***`1-network`***: a coherent community
* ***`N-network`***: a massive global network of networks
  {% endhint %}

A *1-network* is the basis for a network state, something like a focused subreddit, a moderated Facebook group, a PHP BB forum, a large Telegram channel, or the following of a single Twitter influencer. Of course, not all subreddits would be 1-networks, but `r/keto` with its intense dietary culture is much closer than a global forum like `r/worldnews`. A 1-network typically has some basic form of moderation (a moderator can ban you, an influencer can block you), some community norms, and mechanisms for enforcement. It doesn’t have *all* the criteria of a nation — the shared language, customs, history, and culture — but it’s like a proto-nation.

The following of a single large YouTube or Twitter influencer is probably the best kind of 1-network out there, in the sense of a proto-nation for a network state, because it has shared context and history, as well as a leader who can act as a dispute resolver.