Why Memecoin is the decentralized engine of cultural activities in the digital age

On January 18, 2025, US President-elect Trump announced the launch of his personal memecoin TRUMP on his social media. According to CoinGecko data, TRUMP's market value has risen rapidly, ranking fourth among meme coins in a short period of time, and the highest has risen to US$75.35. This amazing increase and market value performance have made Trump coin the focus of everyone's attention.

One ​​of the purposes of Trump's issuance of TRUMP coins should be to use his influence and topicality to create his own unique identity in the field of cryptocurrency and strengthen his personal brand image. He claimed that the coin aims to "celebrate a leader who does not back down even in the worst circumstances," alluding to the assassination attempt and other incidents he encountered during the campaign. At 7:00 a.m. on May 23, 2025 (late May 22, Eastern Time), it was a glorious night for 220 TRUMP token holders. They won the opportunity to have dinner with US President Trump based on their holdings ranking from April 23 to May 12. It can be said that this is Trump's latest action to empower his TRUMP coin. Some people call it a "conspiracy" between Trump and TRUMP holders, and it is "the pinnacle intersection of encryption and politics". Sun Yuchen participated in the above dinner as the first holder and said that "memecoin has legitimacy and value".

Why is Memecoin a decentralized engine for cultural activities in the digital age? First, memecoin is based on blockchain and smart contract technology, and has initially possessed the characteristics of a cultural empowerment tool.The tamper-proof nature of blockchain can anchor cultural symbols (such as hot memes, IP images) as tokens, realizing the digital confirmation and perceptual expression of cultural values; smart contracts automatically execute rules and can build cultural interaction scenarios. Users can complete cultural exchanges and communication through token transactions, pledges, and other behaviors, such as using tokens to exchange cultural content in virtual communities. Decentralized ledgers allow different cultural symbols to flow freely on the chain. When users participate in the creation and circulation of tokens, they promote the collision and coordination of multiple cultures, form a self-organized cultural communication network, and enable cultural values ​​to be efficiently transmitted and consensus-building under the empowerment of technology.

Second, memecoin can become a cultural empowerment tool, and more importantly, users use tokens as a link to build cultural interaction scenarios. Users can hold online seminars, virtual cultural exhibitions and other activities based on memecoin. Participants can obtain participation rights through token staking and deepen their understanding of cultural symbols in the exchange; they can also jointly complete cultural creation tasks, including but not limited to rewarding original emoticons, jokes and other content with memecoin. The token incentive mechanism drives user collaborative output. In this model, memecoin is not only a transaction medium, but also a "trust bond" for cultural collaboration - users use token circulation to complete the division of cultural tasks, spontaneously form a closed loop of cultural communication in the decentralized community, and let the scattered cultural values ​​​​condense through the consensus mechanism, realizing the empowerment upgrade from symbol communication to value co-creation.

In addition to TRUMP coins, memecoin cultural empowerment has many highlights. Taking MemeCore as an example, users can use its platform to create and share personal memecoins, integrate their own stories into them, and expand cultural communication through transactions and donations. Interaction, using the ranking list to link digital identity with economic value. Another example is some memecoins based on popular anime and game culture. Fans can hold online cosplay competitions. Participants use corresponding memecoins to pay entry fees, purchase props, and complete cultural tasks such as "reproducing classic scenes" to deepen their understanding and dissemination of works. Dunhuang Lingjing also planned to create a MEME pig project. If it is implemented, users can use relevant memecoins to participate in the Dunhuang cultural theme creation challenge and promote new expressions of traditional culture in the digital age.

Another famous project, Boring Ape NFT, is driven by the project party rather than the community. But similar to the above memecoin, its basic function is to confirm cultural symbols through blockchain. Holders can obtain community identity recognition, participate in offline gatherings, art exhibitions and other cultural activities, and can also perform secondary creation based on IP, derive cultural content such as trendy brands and animations, and form a cultural empowerment closed loop of "ownership - creation - dissemination", promote the integration of street culture and crypto art, and become a cultural social currency in the Web3 era. It can be said that there are certain similarities in this regard, and the two may blend with each other.

In traditional society, there are many tools for empowering culture. Specific regional space is also an important tool for empowering traditional culture. Like a historical and cultural city, such as Xi'an, the city itself is a living history and culture textbook. Many historical sites such as the ancient city wall, Terracotta Warriors, and Big Wild Goose Pagoda are scattered throughout the city. Every year, it attracts a large number of tourists from home and abroad. Tourists are in it and experience the grandeur of ancient architecture and the thickness of historical culture. This kind of on-the-spot experience and feeling is something that book knowledge cannot give. The city space of Xi'an provides a natural and powerful carrier for the dissemination and inheritance of ancient Chinese history and culture, allowing culture to shine with vitality on this land.

Specific cultural significance time also plays an important role that cannot be ignored. Traditional festivals are typical representatives. Take the Spring Festival as an example. During the Spring Festival, families reunite, and people post Spring Festival couplets, eat New Year's Eve dinners, visit relatives and friends, and other traditional customs are performed. At this particular time, family concepts, family ties, and elements such as etiquette in traditional culture are infinitely magnified. Generation after generation of people have been influenced by traditional culture in the atmosphere of the Spring Festival and passed on these cultural connotations. The Spring Festival has become an important time node for the inheritance and development of the traditional culture of the Chinese nation, and it continues to empower culture.

For example, many cultural associations are committed to inheriting and promoting specific cultures. For example, some folk culture associations convey folk culture to the public by organizing various folk activities, such as traditional festival celebrations and folk art exhibitions. The members of the association work together, from event planning, organization and implementation to publicity and promotion, and every link embodies everyone's love for traditional culture and determination to inherit it. Through these activities, the influence of folk culture has been expanded, and people's cognition and identification with it have been continuously strengthened.

Memecoin has many similarities and differences with traditional cultural empowerment tools. The similarity is that they both use a certain carrier to spread and strengthen specific cultural connotations. Memecoin uses the Internet and cryptocurrency technology to integrate specific cultural symbols or concepts into it for dissemination; traditional cultural empowerment tools spread traditional culture through their own ways, such as the organization of associations and groups, the physical carrier of regional space, and ritual activities at specific times.

The differences are more significant. From the perspective of the speed and scope of dissemination, memecoin relies on the Internet and the global cryptocurrency market, and its dissemination speed is extremely fast and covers the world. Take Trumpcoin as an example. In a short period of time after its release, its market value rose rapidly, and many cryptocurrency investors around the world participated in it. However, the dissemination speed of traditional cultural empowerment tools is relatively slow, and the scope of dissemination is often limited by factors such as region and participating population. For example, the activities organized by some local folk culture associations may have an influence limited to the local community or a specific group of cultural enthusiasts. From the perspective of participation methods, memecoin participation is open and transparent. As long as there is a network and a certain amount of funds, anyone can participate in the trading and dissemination of related cryptocurrencies. However, traditional cultural empowerment tools, such as joining certain professional cultural associations, may require certain professional knowledge or go through a specific review process; participating in cultural experiences in a specific geographical space may be restricted by geographical location, economic conditions, etc. For example, traveling to Xi'an to experience its history and culture requires paying for transportation, accommodation, etc.

Of course,memecoin and traditional cultural empowerment tools are not mutually exclusive, but complement each other, making cultural activities in the digital era more convenient, richer and more diverse.

In the digital era, memecoin has great potential to become a decentralized tool for cultural empowerment activities. The digital era is characterized by a high degree of integration of digitization and intelligence, extremely fast information dissemination and strong interactivity.memecoin can use the decentralized characteristics of blockchain technology to break the central institution restrictions in traditional cultural communication and empowerment models.For example, some niche cultural creators can create their own cultural cryptocurrency based on memecoin. By linking unique cultural content, such as original works of art and niche music, to the cryptocurrency, fans around the world can support and spread this niche culture by purchasing, holding and trading the currency. Moreover, due to the immutable nature of the blockchain, information such as the copyright of cultural works can be better protected, and the rights and interests of creators can also be guaranteed, further stimulating their enthusiasm for creating and spreading culture.

In terms of virtual cultural communities, memecoin can also play an important role. People can create virtual communities based on their favorite cultural themes and use specific memecoins as circulating currencies within the community. Community members can use the currency to purchase virtual cultural products within the community, such as virtual artworks, game props with cultural themes, etc. This approach can not only enhance the interaction between community members and their sense of cultural identity, but also provide new impetus for cultural innovation and development. For example, in a virtual community with science fiction culture as the theme, creators can issue memecoins related to science fiction culture, so that community members can support them in creating science fiction novels, comics, film and television works, etc., to achieve the diversified development and widespread dissemination of science fiction culture.

When users empower memecoin, they must still assume corresponding social responsibilities to protect the rights and interests of others. Because the memecoin market is highly speculative and uncertain, the price fluctuates greatly. When users participate in related transactions and dissemination, they cannot deliberately create false information to manipulate market prices and mislead other investors. For example, false good news about a memecoin cannot be spread on the Internet to attract uninformed investors to enter the market, thereby raising the price and then leaving the market with profits. This behavior will seriously damage the interests of other investors.

From the perspective of cultural communication, when users spread culture with the help of memecoin, they must ensure the health and legality of cultural content. Memecoin that promotes violence, discrimination, hatred and other bad cultures cannot be spread. For example, if someone tries to create a cryptocurrency that promotes racial discrimination, other users should not only not participate, but also actively resist and report to relevant regulatory authorities. Because the spread of such bad culture will cause great damage to social harmony and stability, and violate basic social responsibilities.

Although it is still facing many challenges and controversies, with the development of technology and the deepening of society's understanding of it,