I just realized something quite interesting about the current crypto market. When looking at projects like DOGE, SHIB, or PEPE, many people often confuse Memecoin with what is called Shitcoin. But actually, what is a shitcoin and how does it differ from a memecoin? That is a question not everyone understands clearly.

Memecoin started as a joke. DOGE was created in 2013 by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, initially just a humorous comment about Bitcoin, combined with the famous dog meme Shiba Inu online. But the strange thing is, the community nurtured it and turned it into something real. DOGE’s market capitalization has now reached $16.29 billion. That’s an enormous number for a project that began as a joke.

Then there’s SHIB with a market cap of $3.45 billion, and PEPE with $1.61 billion. These projects all rely on the power of community and internet culture. When the community heats up, coin prices soar. They are free, liberal, originating from cultural resonance online.

But what is a shitcoin? It’s low-quality coins, lacking real technological support, relying only on temporary hype. These types of projects often appear, deceive naive investors, and then suddenly disappear. They have no story, no real community, only strategies to “cut the rice” for quick profit.

What is the main difference? Memecoin has an active community behind it. DOGE is used for tipping on X, PEPE allows people to “own” a part of internet history. Meanwhile, shitcoin is just projects that run away, turning investors into “cattle”? It lacks cultural foundation, emotional connection.

I see that what a shitcoin is not an easy concept to understand because it’s not always clear. There are Memecoins that are truly considered Shitcoin if they are short-term projects, hype up and then run away. But the success stories of DOGE or PEPE prove that community strength can turn a joke into a real cultural icon.

By the way, Richard Dawkins once defined Meme as “a unit of culture” that spreads like a virus. Memecoin demonstrates this evolution: from Meme to token, the community amplifies its value, blockchain accelerates copying. More than 40,000 new Memecoins are created every day.

Shitcoin has damaged the cultural foundation of crypto: conspiracy manipulation weakens trust, poor copying stifles innovation. In the future, we need to clearly distinguish between projects with real communities and those just financial parasites. Memecoin is a repository of internet subculture, while shitcoin is just soulless financial zombies.