From Memes to Market Mayhem — the Virality, Volume, and Volatility of Animals on SOL
Executive Summary
⭐️ We’ve been here before. The animal meta is not new. Cuteness is eternal.
⭐️ Difference lies in the imbibing of social elements in compelling waves of controversy.
⭐️ A fundamental shift has occurred in the way information is distributed.
When was the last time you visited the zoo? Or a farm? For degens on SOL they’re probably trawling the Internet for cute, dancing, or martyred animals. Make no mistake, there are genuine animal lovers out there, but I find it hard to believe that millions of people have such an outpouring of emotion for animals if it doesn’t align with their profit incentive.
I’m no different. Make me money, and I’ll be invested. Funnily, even if my losses pile up, I’m still invested.
One thing I must emphasise, however, is that this is not new. This is the same song and dance, but something feels different this time.
Alluding to my previous article, the Shiba Inu that represents Dogecoin has indeed become the epitome of animal-based coins. It had been given time to marinate and ferment, but in recent times there have been new spices that would be previously unthought of that is added.
What’s new is the mainstreaming of social movements into these coins.
For all social movements, there are rallying cries. These cries can come from many people, but the most impactful is perhaps that one single influential person that brings together a ton of other less-but-still influential persons.
As discussed previously, Elon Musk is the man. From Dogecoin to Pnut, he has imbued in these coins a certain level of legitimacy. At the same time, we could make the argument that it is the movement that compels the man. In this case, however, I boldly assert that it is the work of this man in keeping things afloat. He keeps us — the herd — running. Ironic, isn’t it, that in our pursuit of profits we’re just another animal like those whom have been immortalised by him.
Or what about the monetisation of lethally adorable animals that consume our attention spans?
From Arie the dancing Sea Lion, to Maya the Samoyed who brings holiday cheer to all in her Santa hat, or simply MooDeng the pygmy hippo lounging around, the formula is not new.
What believe is new, however, is the contrast, juxtaposition, and paradox of seemingly un-animal-like behaviour that grabs our attention.
What do we see in Arie when she dances? We see our inability to dance as well as a Sea Lion. In Moo Deng, we find it unbelievable that a pygmy hippo is even able to be cute. For Maya, her floofiness is contrasted with the cute Santa hat that she wears. Doesn’t hurt that Christmas comes around once a year.
At the end of the day, no matter the social movements or the tried-and-tested cuteness formula, virality is the key. With it comes volume and volatility, but if you understand the compounding effect of social media and identify potential targets that fulfil almost all these criteria, I believe that you would be able to sieve through the junk to find gems and diamonds in the rough.
Invest at your own risk. As quickly as these social movements appear, the quicker they dissipate. Volatility is not your friend if you do not have conviction in these animal coins, and conviction comes in the form of the hours spent understanding the virulence, variety, and vastness of animal coins that will emerge.
Signing off, Keishyo.
