We need to talk about meme coins

When attention is the most valuable commodity of all this is what you get

The blockchain, NTFs, decentralised... I disassociate whenever anyone utters the word “crypto”. But meme coins? Now I’m seated. Why? Hawk Tuah Girl.

She was my unexpected entry point into this highly unregulated world after she launched the crypto currency coin ‘Hawk’ in late December and it hit a theoretical valuation of $490 million within hours. But just as quickly early holders dumped their holdings, ‘Hawk’ tanked, dropping 95 per cent of its value, leaving fans who had bought a stake out of pocket. Lawsuits followed and Hawk Tuah Girl, real name Hailey Welch, hasn’t been seen or heard from in over a month.

It was easy to stay curious beyond that messy drama because Hawk Tuah Girl proved to me that meme coins, just like her own fame, are a metaphor for our times because they only need attention to go from nothing to something.

Fandom, trends and hype are what makes a meme…