The Current Reality on Zora & Base

Creator Coins and Content Coins on Zora and Base are being framed as investment opportunities, and that’s the core problem.

And this isn’t just a user behavior issue, platforms are actively reinforcing it. Zora runs trading contests around Creator and Content Coins. Base App even dedicates a full “green/red” category specifically for these tokens.

The message is subtle, but clear: these coins are being framed and consumed as investment opportunities, not as tools for fan support or creator relationships.

What was meant to be a new way for creators to monetize is quickly turning into a familiar cycle: hype, pump, dump, and retail losses. Traders treat these tokens like short-term bets, not cultural or community assets.

We’ve already seen it happen:

• Creator Coins jump from small market caps to millions in days

• Individual pieces of content generate impressive trading volume

• Early buyers exit, while late participants are left holding losses

On paper, this looks like success. In practice, it’s fragile and unsustainable.

The ecosystem currently rewards:

• Early snipers and bots

• “Per-second traders” chasing hype and exit liquidity

• KOL-driven attention spikes

Trad creators are often told that onboarding Zora or Base App will generate consistent trading fees, sometimes framed as outperforming Web2 platforms like YouTube, Tiktok. In reality, those fees usually peak in the first few hours or days and then disappear.

Most creators simply don’t have a large enough audience to sustain ongoing demand.

In practice, new creators tend to onboard through the same playbook: a feature or introduction from Base or Jesse or Zora, combined with whatever existing Web2 audience they can bring with them. That initial push hooks platform-native viewers and jumpstarts early volume.

Building from scratch without that amplification is extremely difficult. Without visibility, there are no buyers. Without buyers, there is no volume.

In fact, even today, Jesse regularly buys creator coins from new creators just to help bootstrap attention and liquidity. That alone should make one thing clear: this is not a model designed to work at scale for the majority of creators.

Once that temporary attention fades, prices fall. And when fans lose money supporting a creator, trust erodes, a dynamic no community can survive.

Token price isn’t just a chart.

It’s social trust.

Web2 already shows us a healthier model for years.

Fans of streamers, K-pop idols, top Tiktoker and online creators spend money on:

• Merch

• Donations

• Virtual gifts

• Tips

They don’t buy with expectations of profit. They spend because they care.

This system works because value flows from appreciation, not speculation. There’s no pressure to “exit,” no fear of being the last buyer, and no constant volatility destroying community sentiment.

The solution isn’t new infrastructure, it’s a cultural reset.

• Creator Coins should function as loyalty or identity tokens tied to a creator

• Content Coins should act as onchain tip jars for individual posts

Fans buy to support, not to flip. Creators earn from genuine engagement, not temporary trading volume.

When coins stop being marketed as investments, communities can actually grow without cannibalizing themselves.

Creator Coins aren’t failing because the idea is flawed. They’re failing because we’re treating fan support like a trading game.

If speculation remains the primary narrative, creators will burn their own communities. But if we shift toward fan-driven value, tipping, loyalty, and appreciation, we can build a sustainable on-chain creator economy that actually lasts.

• Speculation-first creator coins turn communities into exit liquidity

• Trading fees are short-lived and hype-dependent

• Token price directly impacts fan trust

• Web2 fan culture offers a proven, sustainable model

• Creator Coins = loyalty

• Content Coins = tipping

• Culture matters more than tech

What do you think? If Zora and Base App really pivots strongly towards a fan-support model, can it be salvaged, or is it too late since retail sales have already been heavily burned?

The Current Reality on Zora & Base

Creator Coins and Content Coins on Zora and Base are being framed as investment opportunities, and that’s the core problem.

And this isn’t just a user behavior issue, platforms are actively reinforcing it. Zora runs trading contests around Creator and Content Coins. Base App even dedicates a full “green/red” category specifically for these tokens.

The message is subtle, but clear: these coins are being framed and consumed as investment opportunities, not as tools for fan support or creator relationships.

What was meant to be a new way for creators to monetize is quickly turning into a familiar cycle: hype, pump, dump, and retail losses. Traders treat these tokens like short-term bets, not cultural or community assets.

We’ve already seen it happen:

• Creator Coins jump from small market caps to millions in days

• Individual pieces of content generate impressive trading volume

• Early buyers exit, while late participants are left holding losses

On paper, this looks like success. In practice, it’s fragile and unsustainable.

The ecosystem currently rewards:

• Early snipers and bots

• “Per-second traders” chasing hype and exit liquidity

• KOL-driven attention spikes

Trad creators are often told that onboarding Zora or Base App will generate consistent trading fees, sometimes framed as outperforming Web2 platforms like YouTube, Tiktok. In reality, those fees usually peak in the first few hours or days and then disappear.

Most creators simply don’t have a large enough audience to sustain ongoing demand.

In practice, new creators tend to onboard through the same playbook: a feature or introduction from Base or Jesse or Zora, combined with whatever existing Web2 audience they can bring with them. That initial push hooks platform-native viewers and jumpstarts early volume.

Building from scratch without that amplification is extremely difficult. Without visibility, there are no buyers. Without buyers, there is no volume.

In fact, even today, Jesse regularly buys creator coins from new creators just to help bootstrap attention and liquidity. That alone should make one thing clear: this is not a model designed to work at scale for the majority of creators.

Once that temporary attention fades, prices fall. And when fans lose money supporting a creator, trust erodes, a dynamic no community can survive.

Token price isn’t just a chart.

It’s social trust.

Web2 already shows us a healthier model for years.

Fans of streamers, K-pop idols, top Tiktoker and online creators spend money on:

• Merch

• Donations

• Virtual gifts

• Tips

They don’t buy with expectations of profit. They spend because they care.

This system works because value flows from appreciation, not speculation. There’s no pressure to “exit,” no fear of being the last buyer, and no constant volatility destroying community sentiment.

The solution isn’t new infrastructure, it’s a cultural reset.

• Creator Coins should function as loyalty or identity tokens tied to a creator

• Content Coins should act as onchain tip jars for individual posts

Fans buy to support, not to flip. Creators earn from genuine engagement, not temporary trading volume.

When coins stop being marketed as investments, communities can actually grow without cannibalizing themselves.

Creator Coins aren’t failing because the idea is flawed. They’re failing because we’re treating fan support like a trading game.

If speculation remains the primary narrative, creators will burn their own communities. But if we shift toward fan-driven value, tipping, loyalty, and appreciation, we can build a sustainable on-chain creator economy that actually lasts.

• Speculation-first creator coins turn communities into exit liquidity

• Trading fees are short-lived and hype-dependent

• Token price directly impacts fan trust

• Web2 fan culture offers a proven, sustainable model

• Creator Coins = loyalty

• Content Coins = tipping

• Culture matters more than tech

What do you think? If Zora and Base App really pivots strongly towards a fan-support model, can it be salvaged, or is it too late since retail sales have already been heavily burned?