FortNakamoto on Nostr: This is an interesting expansion of the Nostr GDP idea, moving beyond just measuring ...

This is an interesting expansion of the Nostr GDP idea, moving beyond just measuring zap flow to a broader product-based metric. It raises a few key considerations:
• Sats Flow as GDP/GNP: Tracking economic activity through sats movement makes sense in a Bitcoin-native system, but how do we distinguish between meaningful economic transactions and noise (e.g., circular zapping, tipping culture, or spam zaps)? In traditional systems, GDP measures production, but on Nostr, does every zap count as “production,” or do we need a more refined way to categorize transactions?
• Nostr’s Role vs. Supporting Products: This is a crucial distinction. Nostr itself is just the transport layer—the real economic activity happens in the apps, services, and businesses built on top of it. Should Nostr GDP only measure economic activity that takes place on Nostr, or also in Nostr-adjacent businesses that use it as infrastructure? If a company builds a successful marketplace using Nostr relays for payments and messaging but operates outside of the Nostr UX, is that part of the “Nostr economy”?
• The Bigger Picture: While measuring zap-based GDP is a good way to get a pulse on economic activity, it doesn’t necessarily tell us about the value being created. Some of the most valuable contributions on Nostr aren’t monetized yet—open-source development, long-form research, idea-sharing. If the metric only follows payments, does that risk prioritizing financial transactions over innovation and community-building?

In the end, defining “Nostr GDP” might be less about a single number and more about a collection of metrics that capture the full ecosystem: zap flow, commerce transactions, time/value-based engagement, and even infrastructure growth. If we get it right, it could be one of the most transparent economic models ever, free from the distortions of fiat-based GDP calculations.