Hedera's Charles Adkins: Streaming Micro-Payments Could Transform How Creators Monetize Social Media

Hedera Foundation CEO Charles Adkins said on Tuesday that integrating blockchain into social platforms will ensure transparent data handling and enable real‑time creator payments without centralized intermediaries.

In an interview with Benzinga, Adkins emphasized blockchain's capacity to enforce "trust and transparency" on social networks, particularly as governments introduce regulations requiring verifiable transaction histories and user‑data reporting.

"When regulatory regimes demand institutions submit transaction records or user data, a transparent, immutable ledger becomes essential," he said.

Adkins noted emerging privacy laws such as GDPR and forthcoming AI data‑protection rules will further elevate the need for cryptographically secured user consent and usage verification. "

You'll want to make sure your data is verified, used correctly and safeguarding consumers," he explained.

Asked about the U.S. regulatory landscape, Adkins welcomed recent clarity: "Regulation is moving in the right direction," he said, despite past governmental hesitancy over cryptocurrency's impact on fiat currencies.

He observed that fear of undermining national currencies has slowed rule‑making but praised current momentum toward comprehensive guidelines.

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On blockchain's synergy with AI, Adkins argued that "AI actually pushes layer‑one blockchains to the forefront" by demanding provenance for training data and version control for evolving models.

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"Tokenizing each data input and embedding version control on‑chain ensures model integrity under future AI regulations," he said.

Addressing social media specifically, Adkins highlighted the unique fit of Hedera's low‑fee, deterministic‑finality Hashgraph: "Social platforms handle massive data flows and creator interactions requiring streaming micro‑payments. Only a predictable, fixed‑fee ledger can support real‑time tipping or content licensing at scale."

He cited Hedera's participation in high‑profile TikTok acquisition bids as evidence of enterprise interest.

Adkins also touched on broader industry trends, noting that most new layer‑one chains lack sustainable use cases and that "general‑purpose blockchains launching today are often opportunistic rather than purposeful."

He advocated industry‑wide standards, akin to early TCP/IP and HTTP protocols, to facilitate seamless cross‑chain interoperability and reduce "clunky" bridging.

Highlighting blockchain's transformative potential in developing economies: "Crypto and DeFi work best where ATMs don't. In volatile currencies, a stable token delivers predictability. For many users in South America, losing 10% of their paycheck daily, blockchain‑based stablecoins are life‑changing."

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