From technological frenzy to social return, the crypto circle is changing

The cryptocurrency market is like the fashion industry, with new concepts becoming popular every so often. From 2023 to 2024, everyone is talking about technological upgrades and underlying architectures—things that sound cool but are also quite abstract. However, as we enter 2025, a more down-to-earth trend is emerging—socialization, something we do every day, is returning to the center of the crypto world in a brand new way.

The social software we are accustomed to is essentially a traffic business. Platforms make money through algorithms and advertisements, and your data is locked in their servers. But in the world of Web3, "social" takes on a completely different meaning. It’s not just about chatting and messaging; it relates to your digital identity, whether the connections you have with others can generate real value, and how an emoji can resonate with strangers around the globe. In this new world, socialization is both the underlying infrastructure and a way for everyone to reach a consensus; it is both a channel for spreading digital assets and a means of expressing cultural identity. From TON allowing you to complete transfers, play games, and earn points directly in the chat window, to Pengu, the chubby penguin, sweeping Twitter with emojis and community vibes—these distinctly styled projects represent different directions of economic interaction and cultural dissemination, together outlining new possibilities for human connection in the crypto world. This change signifies that the crypto world is shifting from a cold technological competition to a warmer, more human-centric phase. The basic needs that were once obscured by complex terminology—wanting to find like-minded people, wanting to express one’s individuality, wanting to gain recognition and value through interaction—are becoming the driving force for innovation once again.

It’s not a technical issue, it’s a human issue

Web3 socialization has been called for many years, yet it has never truly entered the mainstream. It’s not because the technology isn’t advanced enough, but because it has forgotten that socialization is a "human affair." First, let’s look at user experience: traditional social applications can be used right away, but Web3 applications often require you to create a wallet, manage private keys, and understand gas fees—these complex operations keep most ordinary users at bay. Next, consider the network effect: the value of social products lies in the number of people, but when your friends are all on WeChat and Twitter, why would you go to an empty Web3 platform? The most critical issue is the distorted incentive mechanisms. Many projects overly rely on token incentives, attracting speculators who are only there to make money, rather than users who genuinely want to socialize. When the incentives disappear, so do the users. This mindset of "using Web3 just for the sake of using Web3" is destined to go nowhere.

The direction for breaking through is actually quite clear: return to the essence of socialization and use Web3 to solve the problems that traditional socialization cannot. For example, data sovereignty—your generated content and accumulated relationship networks should belong to you, not be monopolized by the platform. For instance, value distribution—when your content is spread and your social network is utilized, you should receive corresponding rewards, rather than just the platform making money. And identity verification—in a network world filled with bots and fake accounts, how to prove you are a real person and how to establish trustworthy social relationships are areas where Web3 can play a role. The key is that these functions should not make users feel like "I am using blockchain," but should naturally integrate into everyday social scenarios. Users should only need to do what they already do—chat, share, interact—while the underlying technology quietly protects data, records contributions, and distributes value. The two projects, TON and Pengu, happen to represent two directions for breaking through: one makes socialization more practical, while the other makes socialization warmer.

Turning the chat window into your wallet and game hall

TON (The Open Network) has chosen a clever path—it didn’t create a new social platform from scratch but instead turned the existing Telegram into a stage for economic activities. This chat software, which almost everyone in the crypto circle uses, was originally just a place for information flow, but as the TON ecosystem gradually matures, the scene has changed. You can directly open mini-programs in the chat window to transfer money, play games to earn points, participate in project tasks to receive rewards, and complete transactions—all without leaving Telegram, downloading other apps, or switching back and forth between dozens of pages.

This experience of "chatting while earning money and playing games" suddenly makes the so-called "social finance" concrete. The developer ecosystem on TON is experiencing explosive growth, with various click-to-earn mini-games, marketing tools based on point systems, and embedded e-commerce and payment functions emerging one after another. The entire TON is turning into an "operating system hidden within Telegram." The logic behind this is clear: Web3 social projects do not necessarily have to start from scratch to create a new platform; they can directly "parasitize" existing social scenarios, transforming the existing traffic and relationship networks into the soil for economic activities. You are already chatting with friends on Telegram every day and discussing projects in groups; now you can just click a few times to complete transfers, claim airdrops, and play games. This seamless experience allows ordinary people to feel for the first time that Web3 is not a distant concept, but a tool right at hand. TON proves one thing: socialization itself is the best entry point. When you embed economic incentives into the interactions people engage in every day, blockchain technology no longer requires users to "learn" or "adapt" specifically; it naturally becomes part of life.

TON Wallet integrated within Telegram

How a chubby penguin conquered the crypto circle with cuteness

If TON addresses the "how to use" issue, Pengu, the chubby penguin, tackles a more fundamental question: why gather together? The answer is surprisingly simple—it's just because seeing a silly penguin is fun, and people want to change their avatar to it. But behind this penguin lies a new logic of IP in the Web3 era. Traditional IP is owned by companies, licensed for use, and strictly controlled, while Pengu turns this around, becoming an open cultural symbol that anyone can use to express themselves, create content, and find a sense of belonging. What happened on Twitter illustrates the point. Various accounts began to spontaneously change their avatars, with ordinary users, influencers, and organizations all participating. The comment sections were filled with emojis and user-generated content, and the community just rolled on. Look at the data: over 330 projects and accounts changed their avatars, totaling 84 million followers, with 12.8 million exposures, 230,000 likes, over 40,000 replies, and more than 70,000 retweets. The key point is that no one organized this, there was no promotional budget, and it didn’t rely on airdrops to attract people; it grew entirely on its own.

Pengu's success actually reveals a new way of playing with IP in the Web3 era. In the traditional world, the value of IP is controlled by companies and monetized through licensing, while Pengu transforms this penguin into an open cultural symbol that anyone can use to express themselves, create content, and establish recognition. This "co-creation IP" is more vibrant than traditional IP because every participant is both a consumer and a creator. It proves something that is often overlooked in the crypto circle: building consensus does not necessarily require complex economic models or technological innovations. Sometimes, a cute image or an emotion that everyone can feel is more effective. Its success logic is very simple: making people feel "this penguin is quite cute," "changing an avatar is fun," "I want to join too," and then people really come. This way of connecting based on cultural identity is particularly precious in a world filled with incentive mechanisms, profit calculations, and complex rules. Too many projects tell you how much money you can make, but very few projects make you simply want to be part of it. Pengu creates a kind of "social resonance"—when you see a screen full of chubby penguin avatars, what you feel is not marketing, but a group of like-minded people expressing themselves in the same language. In an age where socialization is fragmented by algorithms and hijacked by traffic, this spontaneous and pure cultural movement feels particularly real.

Source: X

Socialization may be the key for the crypto world to truly reach the masses

Looking back at the two projects, TON and Pengu, you will find that they each solve a key aspect of socialization: TON allows you to "use while chatting," turning socialization into a natural entry point for economic activities; Pengu proves that "resonance lasts longer than profit," and cultural identity itself is the strongest connection. These seemingly different paths actually point in the same direction—Web3 socialization is no longer simply about moving WeChat onto the blockchain, but about redefining the very act of "connecting." In this new world, socialization is no longer just an independent track or a feature of a certain app, but permeates all applications like air. Every transaction you make strengthens relationships, every avatar you change expresses cultural stance, and every mini-game you participate in weaves a social network. Perhaps it won’t be long before we no longer specifically discuss "social projects," because almost every crypto application will embed social logic.

What is truly worth looking forward to is not the next "killer social application," but how social logic permeates more scenarios. When DeFi protocols start considering how to foster collaboration among users, when NFT markets begin to value the cohesion of holder communities, when games are no longer just about leveling up but about building trust networks among players—this is where the true value of socialization lies. It is not an independent track, but a necessary path for the entire crypto world to transition from "cold start" to "warmth." The next project to ignite the market may not be because of how advanced the technology is or how sophisticated the token model is, but because it allows people to naturally find their peers, establish trust, and generate a sense of belonging through usage. This is the essence of socialization and the key for Web3 to truly reach the masses.