Meme cryptocurrencies such as Dogecoin and Shiba Inu have seen massive growth in 2021, driven by hype on social media and endorsement by prominent figures like Elon Musk. These meme coins have exploded in value, delivering huge returns for investors while baffling cryptocurrency traditionalists.
Dogecoin – The OG Meme Coin
Dogecoin is the original meme cryptocurrency that set off the craze. It launched in 2013 based on the viral “doge” internet meme of a Shiba Inu dog. While intended as a lighthearted joke poking fun at crypto, Dogecoin gathered a community of online fans.
In 2021, Dogecoin went on an epic rally. Spurred by Reddit traders and tweets from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, its price skyrocketed over 12,000% from $0.005 in January to an all-time high of $0.68 in May. This gave Dogecoin a staggering $90 billion market capitalization, exceeding giants like BP and Airbnb.
Shiba Inu – The ‘Dogecoin Killer’
Riding on Dogecoin’s coattails, a new meme coin called Shiba Inu (SHIB) launched in August 2020. It aimed to usurp Dogecoin as the fan favorite meme asset. Like its muse Dogecoin, Shiba Inu soared in value through 2021 thanks to online momentum.
Between October 2020 and October 2021, SHIB gained a staggering 60,000,000% to reach a peak price of $0.000088 and enter the top 10 cryptocurrencies. At one point, investors who put in $1,000 at launch had portfolios worth over $5.7 billion due to the meme coin’s improbable rise.
Driving Factors Behind the Hype
Several factors have fueled the meme coin mania:
– Speculation: Investors hope to replicate Dogecoin’s gains through newer meme coins like SHIB, driving up prices.
– Low Cost: The low nominal trading prices of these coins appeal, allowing investors to own millions of units.
– Online Hype: Tweets from Elon Musk and promotion by influencers creates viral buzz around these assets.
– FOMO: Fear-of-missing-out as prices surge lures retail traders who don’t want to neglect the next big crypto opportunity.
– Community: Devoted online communities on Reddit and Discord aggressively promote their favorite meme coins.
– Scarcity: Meme coins like SHIB have a fixed supply, introducing mild scarcity similar to Bitcoin.
Concerns Around Meme Coin Investing
Despite insane gains, meme coins are controversial within crypto circles:
– No Utility: Most meme coins lack technological utility, real-world use cases, or development activity. Their value is purely speculative.
– Volatility: With no fundamentals, meme coin prices seesaw wildly based on hype alone, rapidly losing traders their investments.
– Manipulation Risks: Critics argue meme coins can easily be manipulated by influencers and whales with huge supplies.
– Obscure Origins: The anonymous developers behind many meme coins remains unknown, raising concerns.
– Bubble Fears: Experts argue that meme coins demonstrate bubble-like behavior that will inevitably burst.
Future Outlook
It remains to be seen if meme coins can sustain long-term relevance or are just a fleeting fad. Supporters believe they represent a cultural movement driven by internet communities. The broader hope is their popularity draws more mainstream users into the cryptocurrency space.
However, more discerning investors treat meme coins as highly risky due to weak fundamentals and rely on assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum for stability. With more meme coins launching regularly, they face saturating their narrow niche.
Their future likely depends on real-world utility emerging beyond just speculation and humor. Until then, the Memo coin phenomenon reflects the crypto sector’s unconventional nature and the influential power of internet subcultures.