Web3 Reading Series (2): The Past and Present of "PUA"

In our era of the internet, there is a peculiar phenomenon: the speed of word propagation always far exceeds people's understanding of it. By the time it becomes popular, the original meaning has long been dissolved, deformed, and even completely altered. "Meme" has become images of cats and dogs with captions, PUA is equated with "emotional blackmail", and the "dark forest rule" is used to describe the crypto world’s survival of the fittest... the origins of these words actually have significant backgrounds.

In this series, we will delve into and discuss their true meanings and evolution.

Today in the Chinese community, "PUA" has almost become synonymous with "emotional manipulation" and "psychological oppression." However, its original meaning does not completely overlap with these negative connotations. PUA originally stands for "Pick-up Artist," which translates directly to "搭讪艺术家." Its popularity stems from Neil Strauss's bestseller "The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists," which describes how a group of men in North America use techniques such as psychology, language patterns, and body language to improve their success rate in interactions with the opposite sex. At that time, an entire theoretical system known as "the Game" was even developed, along with accompanying books and training courses. I read both the Chinese and English versions shortly after graduating from university. If you can set aside your preconceived notions, it's actually a very interesting work of non-fiction.

The original meaning of PUA refers to psychological techniques that facilitate smoother communication with the opposite sex. For example, simply telling a beautiful girl that she is pretty might be something she has heard too many times, and she may even feel that you are just one of many admirers, which immediately disrupts the balance of the conversation. If you can change your approach and start with an interesting topic that has nothing to do with appearance, it can actually create a more equal atmosphere for communication.

However, any technique, once it departs from the premise of voluntariness and equality, is prone to abuse. Some individuals (including certain characters in novels) use PUA as a means to gain control and emotional domination, even exploiting psychological vulnerabilities to exert mental pressure, deliberately creating unequal relationships. This abuse has led to PUA being rapidly stigmatized in the Chinese context, almost completely deviating from its original definition of "social skills."

In the context of the crypto industry, we can also see a similar "PUA" phenomenon—not in emotional relationships, but in community management, marketing activities, and even psychological suggestions in the investment circle. For example, some project parties may influence investors' judgments by constantly "drawing big pies", exaggerating future potential, and creating an atmosphere of "if you don’t follow, you will miss out". This is fundamentally similar to the essence of PUA in the emotional field: using psychological strategies to sway the other party's decisions, causing them to make choices that are favorable to oneself in a state of non-complete rationality. Understanding the original meaning and evolution path of PUA helps us distinguish between what is truly equal communication and what is meticulously designed manipulation in different scenarios.

Web3 Reading Series (1): From Cultural Gene to Memecoin