Avara launches Lens Network on zkSync to extend the success of the Lens protocol
Building on the success of the Lens protocol, Lens Lab, under Avara, announced Lens Network, a blockchain-based network that aims to transform the future of social media interactions. Developed on the ZK Stack leveraging Ethereum’s zkSync technology, the Lens network is poised to address and overcome the prevalent scalability challenges facing blockchain technology. It aims to match the user experience of existing social networks while retaining the unique features of web3, such as user ownership and secure transactions.
According to the announcement, the primary goal of the Lens network is to enable widespread adoption of web3 social features by providing a robust infrastructure that can support new user experiences and monetization models. Stani Kulechov, founder of Avara, emphasized that Lens Network will introduce a hybrid architecture combining Validium and Volition with Ethereum’s ZK Stack to scale effectively and contribute to a more open and fair Internet.
Alex Gluchowski, co-founder and CEO of Matter Labs, highlighted the important balance that Lens Network aims to maintain between a user-friendly interface and essential elements such as data ownership, freedom of speech, and transaction security. The new network promises to provide developers with the flexibility to build a variety of social applications and support seamless integration with EVM and non-EVM blockchains.
The launch of the Lens network will take place in three phases, starting with Validium, which will use ZK compression technology on Ethereum to ensure robust data accessibility. Subsequent phases will introduce separate Validium chains designed to meet different social network use cases and privacy levels, eventually culminating in the Volition network, which blends Rollup and Validium for greater security and flexibility.
Lens Labs also emphasized improved user empowerment with the ability to give users greater control over their online presence and how they interact. The network will support existing Lens profiles and provide new publishing options on the Lens website, making it easy for users to maintain or extend their digital identities.
Christina Beltramini, a long-time member of the Lens team, expressed her enthusiasm for the launch of Lens Network. Reminiscing about her own travels, she decided,
“When I joined the Lens team two and a half years ago, we set out to fundamentally transform social media. Our goal was to advance the possibilities of social, but not without compromising the fundamentals of blockchain and its potential. This has always been central to our vision.”
Beltramini emphasized that the development of the Lens Network is an important milestone in realizing the vision of a scalable, secure, and cost-effective blockchain-based social media solution that does not sacrifice user experience.
For detailed technical specifications and phased rollout plans, please refer to the official blog post from t2, a blogging platform built on the Lens Protocol.
The launch of Lens Network from Avara’s Lens Lab is an important step toward creating a decentralized, user-centric social media platform that provides scalability, security, and user ownership. This is consistent with our broader vision of a more accessible and equitable digital future.
