Winning the meme war
I often think about how human bodies are so fragile and clumsy compared to most animals. We wouldn't stand a chance in a physical fight against anything near our weight. Even stepping on a Lego hurts us.
And yet, here we are - the dominant species, sitting atop the food chain, bending the planet to our will.
Our superpower, beyond our intelligence, is our ability to make shit up. All animals communicate in some way, but we are the storytelling ape, capable of creating shared fictions and believing in things with conviction even without fully understanding them.
Notable examples include gods, religions, kings, nations, laws, corporations, race, brands, games, and money. These creations are vital. It's only when we all believe in the same things that we can follow the same rules and cooperate effectively.
In 2024, the internet has connected the world so tightly that we now live in a meme world. When I say meme, I'm not referring only to cat GIFs or funny images; I'm talking about any unit of cultural information that spreads from person to person. Memes now influence everything from stock prices to political revolutions. They've become the message, the means of production, and the invisible hand guiding the zeitgeist.
Many dismiss memes as inconsequential, digital noise. And most of it is. But they underestimate the most potent ones; shared belief doesn't need to be grounded in reality to profoundly shape human behavior on a massive scale.
Others argue that memes can only have short-term value and that they're unsustainable in the long run. While this may be true, we are individuals with limited lifespans. We can't afford to ignore the temporary, because "short-term" for us could mean our entire lives.
So we have to learn to play the game. In the attention economy, mindshare is the ultimate asset, and mastering the art of memetic warfare is crucial.
Winning the meme war is how de will win. We must all share the conviction that a group of people collecting generative art on a blockchain can become a cultural force.
But passive belief is not enough. We have to get serious and take action. I'm talking directly to you, me, the team - anyone that wants de to succeed.
This is how we win the meme war and make de the best community on the internet:
Part I: Produce more content about de
In our meme world, everyone is a content creator and you have to be one too.
Pumping out content is the bare minimum to compete. You should post hard and post often. It doesn't matter if it's scrappy or imperfect; just post it.
Always be positive, because all news about de is good news. Irrelevancy is the only failure.
Always anchor to the most logical extreme. We're not going lower, we're going to zero. We're not going anywhere, we're going everywhere. We're not building a community on the internet, we're building the best community on the internet.
There's information overload, and people have a very limited ability to process information. To get any message across, it must be crafted with maximum simplicity, clarity, and efficiency.
Short phrases are very powerful:
Bitcoin taught us "orange coin good", "number go up", "Bitcoin fixes this".
Donald Trump had "Make America Great Again", "fake news", "build a wall".
de has "FIWB", "let it go lower", "we tried some shit..."
Part II: Strengthen the in-group
It's very important to understand your audience. There's the in-group, and there's the out-group.
The in-group consists of people who believe in de. You do not have to own a de NFT to be in the in-group; you just have to resonate with the vision.
Supporting the in-group is easy. Constantly remind them why they're here, pump them up, and craft better memes together.
It's important to note that it's not an echo chamber; members of the in-group can disagree and argue in good faith. Engaging in healthy debate in the in-group is worthwhile. It's how we all get better.
Part III: Ethically troll the out-group
The out-group consists of people who don't believe in de. People who hold de NFTs can still be in the out-group.
These are people who are not willing to take your ideas seriously. Never attempt to engage in a logical discussion with them.
Trolling them is the best option. It's effective because you're not actually engaging with the person you're trolling; you're broadcasting to other people, specifically those in the in-group that might be watching.
It's important to always stick to the truth when trolling. Don't do it just to get a rise out of someone; ad hominem attacks aren't effective. That's why I use the term "ethical trolling".
Winning the meme war is a long term game.
Produce more content, strengthen the in-group, and ethically troll the out-group.
That is how we win.