2026-01-21 08:20:53

Regarding the future of decentralized social, industry insiders believe that this track will reach a critical turning point in 2026. The core logic is simple: many current social applications rely heavily on tokens as a gimmick, with a strong speculative atmosphere, which in turn neglects the quality of content itself. Such a social ecosystem built this way naturally cannot withstand scrutiny.

Those who can truly create good social platforms must be teams that genuinely value "social interaction itself." In other words, don’t always think about how to create bubbles through speculative tokens, but instead consider how to build better communication tools and provide users with higher-quality content experiences. Competition is the key to driving long-term value — only then can decentralized social truly move from the conceptual stage to practical application.

From this perspective, protocols like Lens and Farcaster are relatively restrained and more pragmatic. They do not blindly chase high valuations but focus on building infrastructure. Perhaps this is why the industry remains hopeful for the next wave of growth in decentralized social — because real opportunities are often reserved for builders who are not eager for quick gains.

View Original

This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.

7 Likes

Reward
7
6
Repost
Share

Comment

0/400

ImpermanentLossEnjoyer

· 4h ago

Currently, those trading cryptocurrencies are all thinking about scamming money, very few are actually building products. Let's wait until 2026, haha.

View OriginalReply0

ProposalManiac

· 4h ago

It sounds very nice, but the real issue lies in the incentive mechanism design—how do you ensure that teams who are "not in a rush for quick gains" won't compromise under capital pressure? Historically, many projects have claimed to focus on "infrastructure," only to end up dying in liquidity crises. Lens and Farcaster are currently restrained because they haven't been truly tested yet. When user numbers grow and market competition intensifies, can this mechanism design hold up? The core of this problem isn't about team quality but whether the token economic model itself can form a self-consistent positive feedback loop.

View OriginalReply0

BakedCatFanboy

· 4h ago

Basically, the current project teams are too impatient, always thinking about how to pump coins, and no one is seriously developing products. Lens and Farcaster are indeed different; they are more low-key and pragmatic. 2026 sounds too optimistic... feels like we need to wait a bit longer. A reliable social platform requires accumulation; it can't be solved by just pumping the market.

View OriginalReply0

GamefiGreenie

· 4h ago

Well said. Right now, many projects are just using tokens to scam investors, and the content experience is really terrible. Lens and Farcaster are indeed stable, unlike some projects that are so impatient. Whether 2026 can become a reality is hard to say; anyway, I'm just waiting to see the joke. But on the other hand, there are still hopeful teams that are serious about their work. The current problem is that bad money drives out good money.

View OriginalReply0

FUDwatcher

· 4h ago

Lens and Farcaster are indeed clear-headed, unlike those who shout slogans every day --- 2026? Let's see how many can survive this year first --- Sounds good, but there are only a few decentralized social platforms with real quality content, and they all rely on token prices to support them --- I agree with this logic, but the problem is users simply don't care about infrastructure, they only look at how much they can earn --- Farcaster is indeed pretty good, at least it doesn't do as many fancy tricks --- Stop talking nonsense, the core issue with decentralized social isn't the tokens, it's that no one wants to use it --- Self-control? Or is it just that there's no money to hype it... --- Long-term value sounds good, but what if it dies in the short term? --- I've heard this kind of argument too many times, waiting for the "critical turning point" every year --- Anyway, I’m not optimistic unless it can truly solve the cold start problem

View OriginalReply0

BoredApeResistance

· 4h ago

That's right, too many projects these days are just packaging a concept to make a quick profit and then running away, without thinking about how to retain users. The real opportunities in the market are indeed in the hands of those teams that focus on doing the work quietly; the teams behind Lens and Farcaster are quite clear-headed. Whether 2026 will be a turning point is hard to say, but at least now, a bunch of projects need to be cleaned up.

View OriginalReply0