1confirmation founder: The crypto industry needs to combine “faith builders” and “traffic speculators”
Comparing news, Nick Tomaino, founder of 1confirmation, wrote an article discussing the marketing challenges faced by long-term crypto industry activists. He believes that real builders need to understand and attract Degen users while maintaining authenticity, rather than criticizing speculative culture at a high level. I've been trying to solve this problem myself for the past 15 years, and I've failed many times. He admits that if users hold different asset positions, they may think he is “condescending,” but he also participated in a lot of speculation and experienced losses when he was young, so he doesn't disdain the Degen group. Nick Tomaino believes that many real predatory players in the crypto industry are easier to use for arbitrage because they don't look down on Degen. Currently, participants in the crypto market can be divided into two major groups: the first category: True Believers (True Believers): represented by the leadership of Ethereum and Coinbase. These teams go through multiple market cycles and continue to build new products and infrastructure. Instead of pursuing short-term traffic and capital, they focus more on long-term value. However, the problem with this camp is that it is sometimes too idealistic, unable to fully participate in popular scenarios such as Memecoin transactions and perpetual contracts, and is relatively inadequate in terms of marketing and user attraction. The second category: Hype men (Hype men): includes some altcoin projectors, executives, and KOLs. This type of group excels at generating attention, attracting Degen users, and capturing market hot spots. Tomaino believes that some of these players focus more on short-term capital and flows, lack real innovation, only use industry narratives to package themselves, and don't actually implement long-term value. Hypocrites are better at getting attention and trading needs, while religious groups have more authenticity and long-term credibility, but both fall short. The two cultures will eventually merge in the future. The key is whether long-term builders can better understand and attract Degen users, and whether traffic drivers can shift from short-term hype to creating real long-term value. The future direction of the crypto industry will depend on which party can influence the other — whether long-term activists push more speculative users towards construction, or whether traffic players gradually shift to a healthier and more positive ecosystem.
