Meme is a unique cultural phenomenon on the internet, characterized by its simplicity, humor, and ease of dissemination, expressing viewpoints, emotions, or humor through imitation and transformation. Originating from the concept introduced by Richard Dawkins in the 1970s, describing a gene-like cultural unit, memes have become a crucial part of internet culture with the rise of the internet. Through global dissemination and evolution, numerous classic and popular memes have emerged. In the cryptocurrency realm, MEME is closely tied to the concept of ‘financial freedom.’ The occasional ‘meme seasons’ triggered by hundredfold or thousandfold coins often ignite a frenzy of MEME enthusiasm. The narrative of ‘trading memes for freedom’ has become deeply ingrained. From the early days of DOGE, followed by PEPE, and now ORDI, the MEME mythology continues unabated.

What sustains MEME? Do these mythical memes follow a consistent eruption process? This article will delve into the backgrounds, content, and popularity processes of these memes to explore the mythology and publicity processes behind MEME culture.

DOGE

DOGE is a meme featuring a Shiba Inu dog, typically portrayed with colorful text expressing the dog’s inner thoughts. The text intentionally uses incorrect grammar, creating a humorous and cute style. The origin of DOGE can be traced back to 2010 when a Japanese kindergarten teacher posted a photo of her Shiba Inu, Kabosu, on her personal blog. The photo showed Kabosu’s profile with a slightly judgmental expression.

The popularity of Doge didn’t happen overnight; it underwent years of fermentation and evolution, gradually becoming a global internet phenomenon. In 2013, Doge gained popularity on platforms like Reddit, attracting numerous creators and viewers, forming a massive Doge community. In 2014, Doge was chosen as Time magazine’s Meme of the Year and appeared in mainstream cultural products like TV shows, movies, games, music, and more.

Doge’s popularity also extended to the cryptocurrency industry. In 2015, Doge became the name and symbol of a cryptocurrency known as Dogecoin. One of its founders, Jackson Palmer, mentioned that he was inspired by the Doge meme to create a fun and friendly digital currency. In 2021, Doge’s popularity reached new heights, mainly due to the promotion by Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk. His frequent mentions and praises of Dogecoin on Twitter led to a surge in Dogecoin’s price, once again making the Doge meme a focal point of the internet.

Thanks to the origin of Dogecoin, Doge’s position in the cryptocurrency industry is truly a unique phenomenon. It showcases the diversity and inclusivity of cryptocurrencies, reflecting people’s interest and optimism in the crypto space. Doge’s success can also be attributed to the power of its community and fans, who continuously create and spread Doge memes, keeping Doge highly relevant and engaging. The future of Doge may hold more surprises and challenges, with many anticipating it reaching the $1 mark, while others remain skeptical about its ability to sustain its position and value. Nonetheless, Doge has become a legend in the crypto industry, bringing more fun and possibilities to the space.

PEPE

PEPE is a digital asset based on the popular meme character, PEPE the Frog. Originally introduced by cartoonist Matt Furie in the ‘Boy’s Club’ comic series in 2005, PEPE the Frog’s image quickly spread on the internet in 2008, known for its humor, creativity, and irony. The cryptocurrency community rapidly embraced this character, making it one of the legends of crypto culture.

The PEPE token was launched on April 14, 2023, and within a short 23 days, its market value reached $1 billion with 107,000 holders. PEPE leverages the power of memes, gaining widespread attention and adopting innovative tokenomics designs, such as a tax-free policy, eliminating transaction fees for Pepe trades. Additionally, PEPE implements a redistribution system, allocating 5% of each transaction to all holders, rewarding long-term stakeholders. Finally, PEPE introduces a burn mechanism, permanently destroying 5% of each transaction, maintaining Pepe’s scarcity.

Pepe boasts an active and loyal community engaged in communication and interaction through channels like Twitter, Telegram, Discord, etc. Community members not only share and discuss PEPE-related information but also create and trade various digital art and memes, enhancing Pepe’s visibility and value.

ORDI

Ordinals Protocol has introduced its native on-chain token, ORDI, which is a Bitcoin contract token based on the Ordinals protocol. Ordi becomes the first cryptographic token on Bitcoin, representing the first meme token on the Bitcoin chain, making it unique and speculative. Its fair distribution method avoids insider trading issues, with ORDI not requiring intervention from venture capitalists or a traditional project team. The inclusion of tokens within memes in its issuance process imbues them with intrinsic value.

ORDI’s marketing strategy is also distinctive and entertaining. It utilizes various channels such as social media, online forums, blogs, videos, podcasts, etc., to showcase and promote ORDI’s features and advantages, attracting more attention and participation. The meme content associated with ORDI is diverse and rich, including humorous, satirical, innovative, and artistic images, videos, audio, etc. These elements reflect ORDI’s spirit and philosophy, emphasizing its value and potential. The meme content for ORDI is continuously updated and innovated to adapt to different occasions and topics, ensuring that ORDI remains fresh and active.

The timing of ORDI’s breakout is well-timed and opportune, coinciding with the fervor surrounding Bitcoin spot ETFs. As a Bitcoin ecosystem project, ORDI has benefited from the momentum of Bitcoin ETFs, showcasing the diversity and creativity within the Bitcoin space. This has attracted more investors and users, leading to a significant leap in ORDI’s price and market capitalization. ORDI’s historical lowest price was $2.86 on September 11, 2023, and its current price is $25.10, marking a remarkable increase of 777.62% from its lowest point. Leveraging the Bitcoin ETF trend, ORDI has created numerous related meme content to increase its exposure and influence, allowing more people to understand and recognize ORDI.

From DOGE to PEPE and now to ORDI, the success of these MEME tokens lies not only in their unique memes and promotional strategies but also in the community strength and innovative token economics behind them. They harness the power of memes, forming active and loyal communities through the dissemination on social media and user participation. The success of these tokens is closely tied to market trends, such as the promotion of Bitcoin ETFs, providing these MEME tokens with more exposure and recognition. The legacy of the MEME myth is not just a success in the realm of digital assets but also a unique interpretation of the spirit of the times and societal culture in the cryptocurrency space.