Idea
A community that forms online around shared values, acquires physical presence in many places and eventually seeks diplomatic recognition from existing states.
Theory
Balaji Srinivasan's The Network State (2022) describes a sequence from online community to crowdfunded territory to recognition. It builds on older ideas of non-territorial membership and competitive governance (Tiebout, Hirschman) and on the toolkit of crypto-economic coordination.
Real examples
- Zuzalu (Montenegro, 2023) was a two-month 'pop-up city'.
- CityDAO (Wyoming, since 2021) bought land governed by token holders.
- Próspera (Honduras) is often discussed in the same breath but is a charter jurisdiction, not a network state.
Critique
Critics argue the model selects for wealthy, mobile members, concentrates authority in founders and investors, and underestimates what states provide: physical security, courts and enforcement. Recognition by existing states is a political, not a technical, achievement.
Results
As of the last verification no network state in Srinivasan's sense has obtained diplomatic recognition. Temporary gatherings and online communities exist; durable territorial self-government by such a community does not.
Related
Real examples
A two-month 'pop-up city' held in Montenegro in spring 2023, gathering a community interested in longevity, cryptography and network-state ideas.
A DAO organised as a Wyoming DAO LLC in 2021 that acquired land in Wyoming and governs it through token-holder votes.
Claims
Srinivasan defines a network state as a highly aligned online community with a capacity for collective action that crowdfunds territory around the world and eventually gains diplomatic recognition from pre-existing states.[1]
No network state, in Srinivasan's sense, has obtained diplomatic recognition from an existing state.
Revision history
- 2026-10-23rev 2 — Seed import
- 2026-10-23rev 1 — Seed import