Don't say GM to me! A brief discussion of the 'hollow phenomenon' in the crypto world community: cultural diseases are spreading

Image source: Deep Tide TechFlow

Thank you

Special thanks to Stratus and Snats for their meticulous proofreading of this article.

Preface

Whether it's the crypto community or other groups, people have long been accustomed to creating a false sense of unity through superficial signals, rather than based on common values or goals.

Once upon a time, memes were tools for spreading culture, but now they are mistaken for culture itself.

The community is losing its direction and true identity. We use shallow sense of belonging as a signal to replace deep-level common understanding.

This phenomenon, which was originally just a 'minor issue' within the encryption community, has now spread to a wider society, and it can even be said that this pathological condition has reached an 'incurable' stage.

You have no culture

Don't say 'gm' (good morning) to me. I am not your 'fren' (friend) either.

When people blindly imitate certain behavioral patterns just to show a sense of belonging, this behavior disgusts me. These behaviors are nothing more than hollow substitutes for real interpersonal relationships.

Although I don't want to give too much positive evaluation to this kind of behavior, the subconscious motivation behind it is simple: to commodify everything, including a sense of belonging.

The cryptocurrency community is a typical case of cultural decline. It was originally a revolution based on principles such as security, decentralization, and resistance to corporate monopolies. But now it has become an echo chamber that fabricates authenticity.

The original spirit of the crypto community has not only been diluted, but even replaced by its own "virtual replica".

The crypto community today is no longer a true community, but a desperate attempt to piece together identity in an increasingly meaningless world. Ironically, as the level of abstraction increases, this sense of identity becomes more and more false.

Do you still remember that the word 'encryption' originated from 'cryptography'? Or has the current meme completely replaced the substance?

In the best case, you're just a "useful idiot"; and in the worst case, you're just a used "liquidity outlet".

However, the crypto circle is just a microcosm of the whole world. This phenomenon is far more than that.

In all aspects of modern life, we can see the same process: authentic cultural elements are discovered, commodified, and then mass-produced until they become completely detached from their original meaning.

Whether it's Gamblecore, meme tokens, or exit polls—these are just different manifestations of the same pathological behavior. Humans are fed packaged perspectives, trapped in echo chambers, and gradually lose the drive to explore more possibilities.

And why would you allow such a situation to happen? Because it fills your inner emptiness - you have no culture.

Human Connection

Humans need connection. However, this is a paradox in contemporary society: in an instant and highly interconnected era, we are experiencing a proliferation of superficial relationships.

Criticism of behaviors like the 'herd mentality' is easy - such as the daily 'gm' greetings, recycled memes, and hollow interactions. But behind these behaviors lies a deeper truth: humans long for connection, and in the absence of genuine connection, we may even accept a poor imitation of community.

We pride ourselves on scientific discussions and rational debates. We hope to engage in discussions and logical reasoning based on facts. However, people spend millions of hours expressing opinions and seeking validation on social media. Why is that?

Leaving aside the addictive platforms and algorithms, the core issue is that in the scientific community, we neither value nor allow people to meet their emotional needs without challenging their arguments.

We are emotional beings, trying to find direction in an increasingly abstract world.

The more we refuse to acknowledge this fact, the shallower our society will become.

When we ignore the emotional connection between humans in pursuit of 'pure facts', this need does not disappear-it is only suppressed and eventually manifests in a distorted form. The popularity of meme culture is not the root cause of the problem, but rather the manifestation of our failure to meet this basic human need.

Humans need connection. We need communities that can accommodate rigorous thinking and genuine emotions. Otherwise, we will continue to waste time on such absurdities in the present.

immune system

In addition to the obvious symptoms, there are some malicious spreaders of this "cultural disease".

Those who have not become victims, but have profited from these environments, are a thought-provoking phenomenon. We found that a society lacking emotions not only accepts someone completely detached from reality, but also willingly follows them.

If you haven't been paying attention to politics (which is a good thing), the way people establish trust has undergone significant changes in recent years.

People can not only manipulate the current public opinion, but also rewrite history in the public's perception, and easily escape punishment by catering to human emotional needs rather than intellectual needs.

This just shows how strong our desire to connect is. Identifying those who exploit our emotions is the first step in social recovery. It is heartbreaking to see these people rising so quickly.

Those who despise you, enslave you, control your life, and tell you what to do, what to think, and what to feel—don't compromise with them.

The real tragedy lies not only in the hollowness of these behaviors, but also in their hindrance to the formation of genuine culture. As long as you participate in it, or even just acquiesce to its existence, this 'cultural disease' will continue to spread.

A person must take pride in their culture. However, this has never been an easy task.

Real culture comes from shared values, and these values are not just superficial identification. True culture is built on principles that guide and constrain our decisions.

When we accept those superficial cultural substitutes, we are not only weakening the cohesion of the community - we are also sacrificing the possibility of creating anything meaningful.

Some people mistakenly believe that everyone has the right to express their opinions. This is not true. If you cannot clearly articulate the beliefs you hold, then you cannot claim them as your own. If you only have slogans and empty viewpoints, you are not worth paying attention to.

The interaction of short videos and fragmented content will only exacerbate this issue. Don't mistake it for something else, it's just a marketing tool.

Please remember that what distinguishes humans from animals is our ability to create and protect our own culture.

If a person has no culture, I cannot respect him.

Point

Our cultural standards need to be constantly raised, not lowered repeatedly. Having inconsistent standards will only keep us in place and allow those who try to profit from us.

We should encourage those who are brave enough to explore, dare to debate, and maintain rational thinking, but also be wary of treating rationality as the only truth.

We cannot tolerate decadent behavior; we should also take a critical attitude towards those who condone decadence.

Do not easily accept those seemingly tailor-made opinions for you, but only to cater to your emotions. Also, be wary of those who exploit your emotions for personal gain.

Chasing value itself is not admirable and cannot bring true satisfaction.

Everyone should be proud of their independent thinking and understanding abilities.

Stand confidently with like-minded people to defend our culture and values together.

This article is authorized to be reproduced from: 'Shenzhen Tide TechFlow'

Original Author: Kualta

"Don't tell me GM! Talking about the "empty phenomenon" of the cryptocurrency community: cultural diseases are spreading" This article was first published in "crypto cities"