Stop pressuring the project team to pump the price; the true whale of Meme coins is yourself.

When it comes to the most magical stories in the crypto world, it’s probably the Shiba Inu meme coin.

Back in a late night in May 2021, when Dogecoin broke into the top ten by market cap, the entire crypto community was stunned—how could a “joke project” launched in 2013 be worth hundreds of billions of dollars? Technical innovation? None. Practical use cases? None either. So what’s the secret?

The answer is simpler than you think: Every shared meme, every “To the Moon” shout, is its own value.

When a Joke Becomes Consensus

Programmers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer created Dogecoin purely to poke fun at the hype and speculation in crypto. They deliberately set the supply to unlimited, used that iconic Shiba Inu as the logo, and basically told everyone: “This is a joke.”

But human nature is funny—when a joke is taken seriously, it becomes a belief.

Reddit users started tipping interesting posts with Dogecoin, communities organized charity drives, and even crowdfunded to send the Jamaican bobsled team to the Winter Olympics. No one cared about the whitepaper (which didn’t exist anyway); everyone just thought it was fun.

In 2021, this “joke” soared to $0.74, with a market cap surpassing $85 billion. Elon Musk’s tweets certainly helped, but what truly kept Dogecoin alive through a decade-long bear market were the community members constantly creating memes and hosting online events.

Honestly, technology can become outdated, but culture endures.

The Shiba Army and the Rise of Sad Frog

If Dogecoin was “accidental,” then in 2020, Shiba Inu (@SHIB) was “deliberate.”

It boldly proclaimed itself as the “Dogecoin killer,” copying the same playbook: using adorable pet images to gather fans, creating the “SHIB Army” concept, making holders feel like they’re part of a cultural movement. And what happened? It skyrocketed 120,000 times in 2021, reaching a peak market cap of $36 billion.

Even more absurd is PEPE in 2023. This token, based on the “Sad Frog” meme, has no team, no roadmap—just spontaneous meme sharing by internet users. Within two weeks, its market cap hit $7 billion. Isn’t that crazy?

But think about it—what’s the fundamental difference between this and Disney making money off Mickey Mouse? The more people recognize, use, and spread a cultural symbol, the more valuable it becomes. Meme coins are just turning emojis and memes into tradable cultural assets.

When a meme becomes “social currency,” it no longer needs technical fundamentals to justify its value.

Don’t Blame the Project Teams—You’re the Real Whale

Many newcomers make the biggest mistake of buying a coin and then constantly asking in groups, “When will the project team pump the price?”

Listen, if you’re still thinking that way, you haven’t understood how Meme coins work.

Behind stocks are company earnings, behind Bitcoin is blockchain tech, but the only “fundamental” of Meme coins is community consensus and cultural spread. The project team is just a catalyst; the real “whale” is every holder—including you.

PEPE is a perfect example: it has no founder, no dedicated team—just internet users spontaneously creating memes and spreading frog images on social media. When you share a PEPE meme, or discuss how funny this frog is, you’re actually helping to “pump” it—every share adds to its cultural value.

On the flip side, if the community only waits for the project team to “feed” them, it’s like a group of people guarding a fish pond that can’t reproduce—eventually, they’ll run out of resources. You see hundreds of new meme coins popping up daily on Pump.fun, but 99% of them die within a week because they have code but no culture; they have supply but no community willing to spread them.

Attention Is Liquidity

In an age of information overload, attention is the most scarce resource. Meme coins are essentially “attention-backed securities”—turning users’ focus, discussions, and shares into tradable assets.

Think about it: platform algorithms favor engaging content, and Meme coins are naturally designed for social media. A funny meme spreads faster than a whitepaper; a “To the Moon” phrase triggers more FOMO than technical specs. When you post a SHIB meme in your circle, you’re actually helping it grab others’ attention—and that attention can eventually turn into buying pressure.

Meme coins on Solana and Base are especially active because these platforms offer fast transactions and low fees, perfect for retail traders doing high-frequency trading and spreading memes. Technology is just infrastructure; the real engine is the community creating “social currency.”

Three Survival Tips for Newcomers

If you decide to join this cultural game, keep these three points in mind—they’re more important than watching candlestick charts:

1. Choose the cultural symbol you truly resonate with

Don’t buy Meme coins you don’t understand. If a meme bores you, don’t expect others to spread it. PEPE’s holders are mostly Gen Zers who grew up with that frog meme—they spread it because they genuinely like it, not just for profit.

2. Be a propagator, not just a speculator

Instead of constantly asking “When will it pump?” think about how to make more people aware of this meme. Create funny memes, write jokes, or comment on related topics. Every time you share or create content, you’re increasing the value of your holdings.

3. Approach investing with entertainment in mind

Meme coins are essentially “cultural lotteries.” While they have more cultural value than pure gambling, they’re still highly speculative. Never invest more than you can afford to lose—treat it like buying a ticket to an amusement park. Having fun is the most important part; profits are just a bonus.

Final Words

When we turn memes into cryptocurrencies, we’re essentially giving internet culture an “IPO.” Every surge in a Meme coin’s price is a grassroots cultural “attack” on traditional finance.

But remember: Without spread, there’s no value. The hype from project teams or influencers doesn’t compare to the power of that meme you’re about to post on your social media.

Instead of waiting for others to “pump,” why not open your drawing app now and create the cultural symbols of finance for this era?

After all, in the attention economy, everyone is their own whale. Every meme you share, every tweet you retweet, is a vote in this cultural experiment.