I just noticed an interesting phenomenon that American sociologist Robert Merton described back in 1968 — the Matthew Effect. The name sounds biblical because it is from the Gospel of Matthew. There is a phrase: "For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." In short, this is the winner-takes-all effect.

In the scientific community, this is called the reputation accumulation phenomenon. The more well-known you are, the more attention you receive. The more resources you have, the easier it is to multiply them. This works everywhere — in science, business, even in cryptocurrencies. Interestingly, a similar idea was described in ancient Chinese philosophy, in the Dao De Jing. It states that Heaven reduces excess and replenishes deficiency, while people do the opposite — they reduce deficiency to maintain excess.

When I look at current crypto prices, this effect is very noticeable. Bitcoin stays around 67.85K, up 0.61% in 24 hours; Ethereum shows 2.10K with a gain of 1.36%; and a major altcoin is trading at 616.10 with a decrease of 0.16%. Major assets continue to attract attention and capital, while smaller projects struggle for visibility. The Matthew Effect in action — those already at the top receive more investor attention, while others fall further behind.