GuShiio.com Original author: Mannay
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Compile | Odaily Planet Daily (@ OdailyChina)
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Translator | Azuma (@ azuma_eth)
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Let’s get to the point. Memecoin and shitcoin are two completely different things.
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Memecoin & mdash;— is free and unruly and originates from the collective resonance of Internet culture.
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Shitcoin & mdash;— is short, speculative and soulless.
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Confusing the two is not only a semantic error, but also a cultural imbalance. Calling tokens like TRUMP or LIBRA memecoin is like mistaking shadows for the moon.
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Meme spreads like a virus from one brain to another & mdash;— Richard & middot; Dawkins (Richard Dawkins), the selfish Gene (1976)
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From Dawkins’ definition of meme as & ldquo; cultural unit-rdquo;, to the birth of DOGE in 2013, memecoin has become the intersection of Internet culture and decentralized finance. The most important thing now is to distinguish between mdash;—, a cultural product of real memecoin & mdash;— derived from community humor, shared values and organic communication, and shitcoin, which aims to take advantage of speculative fanaticism. Confusing the two is not just a semantic error, it also undermines the cultural foundation that makes memecoin so fascinating. Memecoin is a story that can be traded as an asset, and its value is only a by-product of collective belief.
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Meme are not static images or jokes: they are cultural genes that can be mutated and spread through human interaction. Dawkins’ analogy in 1976 described meme as a copy of ldquo; selfishness & rdquo;, vying for dominance in the attention economy. Memecoin like DOGE or PEPE also reflects this evolutionary process:
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A meme (such as DOGE) mutates into a token, gaining financial utility while retaining its cultural DNA.
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Communities, as ecosystems, magnify meme that resonate with common values (humor, rebellion, nostalgia).
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Blockchain infrastructure accelerates the replication process, generating more than 40000 memecoin per day.
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Unlike shitcoin, which lacks cultural adaptability, memecoin flourishes by embedding collective memory. They also connect two ages of Internet culture: Web2 and Web3.
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In Web2, meme is a central commodity. Platforms such as Reddit and Twitter monetize viral content through advertising, but creators rarely benefit financially from it. It spreads through platforms such as Reddit or Twitter, but its monetization process is isolated & mdash;—, for example, earns advertising revenue, not the creator. The rise of DOGE in 2013 is a case in point. Its community funded philanthropy but lacked ownership of the financial value of meme.
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Web3 transforms meme into an asset of self-sovereignty, and communities monetize their cultural labor. Meme has also become tradable & ldquo; equity & rdquo;, is governed by a decentralized community rather than by corporate algorithms. This shift is actually revolutionary because meme has changed from temporary content to lasting cultural capital. For example, PEPE recaptured the Pepe theme meme from the misappropriation of Web2, making it possible for the owner & ldquo; to own part of rdquo; ‘s Internet history.
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Real memecoin will follow a Darwinian trajectory:
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Birth: a meme is monetized, usually as an irony
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Growth: the community uses humor and nostalgia to build social capital
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Maturity: successful memecoin develops quasi-social utility (holders invest not only for profit, but also for identity)
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Legacy: memecoin either fades away (mostly) or evolves into cultural symbols / community legends. For example, the persistence of DOGE stems from the myth of its philanthropy.
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Shitcoin bypassed this life cycle. They are financial zombies & mdash;— lacks narrative and harvests only through predatory strategies and higher shipments. They lack cultural support, which is doomed to the shortness of their life cycle.
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Memecoin can actually archive the Internet subculture into a blockchain and play a role as a folklore of the 21st century. Shitcoin, in turn, lacks this emotional empathy and fails to generate community loyalty. They take advantage of the trend rather than contribute to the cultural narrative, which makes the cryptocurrency out of its ldquo; counterculture-the root of rdquo;. They are parasites of meme and are fundamentally different from meme.
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The real challenge now is to maintain cultural integrity. The confusion between memecoin and shitcoin has threatened the cultural foundation of cryptocurrency & mdash;— exploitative tokens lead to the erosion of trust, low-quality copies stifle innovation and dilute creativity, volatility and fraud lead to strict regulation, thus endangering creative freedom & hellip;&hellip
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Let’s look back at history. DOGE was founded in 2013 by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer as a parody of Bitcoin and a tribute to the Doge theme meme. The whole project is full of self-deprecating humor. However, it is this irony that helps it stand out in the increasingly serious and competitive field of encryption. Within months, a loyal community (you could call it the ldquo; cult & rdquo;) sprang up, funding the Jamaican bobsled team for the 2014 Winter Olympics and other causes such as the Clean Water Project. These early philanthropy revealed a community spirit that transcended speculation.
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Susan & middot; Blackmore (Susan Blackmore) wrote in the meme Machine (1999) that the success of meme depends largely on its ability to resonate with a shared cultural background. Memecoin does this by using humor as a Trojan horse; people gather around humor, but they stay because of a sense of belonging. Whether it’s posting ridiculous meme or raising money for wacky causes, these communities translate & ldquo; attention economy & rdquo; into real economic value. Community communication, activity, and creation magnify cultural momentum, and digital cross-dissemination occurs so fast that the value of memecoin often soars not because of inherent utility, but because of endless humor. Over time, if meme resonates widely (as DOGE does), tokens can go beyond their original jokes and become independent cultural symbols.
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By contrast, shitcoin lacks any meaningful cultural base. They exist purely as speculative tools, and their creators take advantage of viral marketing and FOMO emotions without contributing anything real to the broader cryptocurrency or cultural ecosystem. The value of memecoin is emotional; the value of shitcoin is transactional.
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Cryptocurrency markets-mdash;—, especially on chains like Solana, trade quickly and cheaply & mdash;— may be overwhelmed by tokens that proliferate on platforms such as pump.fun like mushrooms after rain, but not all fungi are edible.
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As Coindesk reporter Brady Dale wrote in an article on DOGE in 2021: & the real difference in ldquo; is not the code but the narrative. & rdquo
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Shitcoin lacks narrative depth. They have no comedy sparks, no philanthropy, and no sense of collective participation beyond speculation. Last year’s so-called wave of PolitiFi tokens, such as MAGA coins, BODEN or KAMA, showed how shitcoin attached to the topic of cultural division (in this case, the political theme) to accelerate speculation. Instead of connecting to the community, they use political sentiment to make a quick profit. They don’t have an internal joke to share, but just chips in digital casinos, a well-orchestrated control plot from beginning to end.
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As early as 2022, a journalist wrote in the New York Times: & ldquo; ‘s politically tagged tokens take advantage of real-world tensions to gain temporary market momentum, leaving a string of disillusioned investors. & rdquo
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We have all seen how it develops this year. Just because a token can spread like a virus doesn’t mean it naturally has the status of memecoin. Memecoin takes advantage of cultural consensus or collective empathy, while shitcoin is parasitic on the same viral transmission mechanism without any further story. As a result, they will soon burn out.
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Noelle Acheson said in a Decrypt interview in 2021: & ldquo; they are & lsquo; flash mobs & the economic equivalent of rsquo; & the spectacle of hellip;… disappears as quickly as it forms without leaving any lasting cultural imprint. & rdquo
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Meme is the DNA of our culture. They are constantly changing codes that are spread through collective imitation and recreation. & mdash;— Susan Blackmore, “meme Machine” (1999)
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Confusing memecoin and shitcoin poses a real threat to the legitimacy and artistic charm that the real memecoin brings to the cryptocurrency field. Memecoin has always been a convenient entrance for newcomers to complex financial instruments. When the audience sees the field diluted by exploitative tokens with no cultural soul, their trust and enthusiasm will also be eroded.
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Memecoin reflects the collective psychology of Internet subculture & mdash;— Reddit posts, Twitter trends, Discord channels. Shitcoin hollowed out the concept of meme and simplified it to & ldquo; virus & rdquo;. The result is a market full of digital garbage, masking truly creative projects. The real memecoin energizes the Internet culture and builds emotional resonance in the global community. DOGE was initially successful because it was fun, inclusive, and reflected the core of Internet humor. Tokens like PEPE continue this tradition. Shitcoin lacks this kind of community magic. They are launched by individuals, and they are just taking advantage of meme.
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That’s why calling shitcoin memecoin is like calling billboard slogans high art. The superficial resemblance masks the huge gap between authenticity and purpose. Memecoin is not just a joke, they are mirrors that reflect the essence of Internet culture, while shitcoin is a mirror-mdash;— is all surface, no substance. To confuse the two is a misunderstanding of the two. Culture is fragile. Don’t let it fall.
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In the words of Richard & middot; Dawkins, meme is & ldquo; cultural unit & rdquo;. Let’s respect this definition and remember why we entered the cryptocurrency world & mdash;— is not just to make money, but also to belong.
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