From priests to POTUS: Stained Glass and Crypto Meme Coins and Tokens
#007 Digital Iconography
The Power of Storytelling
The power to animate the masses, lies within story.
Today’s crypto meme coins and tokens aren’t that much different from the stories cemented into the stained glass windows of Medieval churches.
Both tell stories.
Both are driven by the promise of a happy ending.
Enshrined in each window-story of the past was not merely a Biblical tale, but the seeds of power that heavily relied on the illiteracy of the masses.
Today, the heavenly hope of crypto that’s captured in meme coins and tokens is based on speculation. If we’re ready to be honest, it too relies on illiteracy.
And this is driving businesses (and their moguls) to craft their glass windows accordingly.
Glass Windows as Interface
Stained glass windows, an early user interface (UI) to spread Christianity, originated in the churches of 7th century Britain. Nearly 85% of the population was illiterate then, and glass visuals were capable of conveying esoteric Biblical teachings as digestible stories.
As churches were built, stained glass windows were installed into the walls and ceilings.
This early UI incorporated the symbolism of colors, scenes from the Bible, the lives of saints, and Christian moral lessons to offer illiterate onlookers a way to make sense of their world through the lens of their maker. And through their maker, the Bible they could not read contained value.
Memes as Modern Interface
The mission of Christianity is the same today as in the past — Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, and it is echoed in the crypto decree: Onboard the masses.
The role of meme coins and tokens functions like the stained glass windows in Medieval churches. Through humor and light-heartedness, the complexity of blockchain technology, crypto, and the promises of Web3 are delivered through token membership and coin purchases.
Just before Donald Trump became POTUS a second time, the $TRUMP coin was launched on the Solana Blockchain. The coin imagery contains him, his fist, and the word Fight three times.
Prominent are the colors gold and black, revealing his on brand color psychology:
“…black and gold reflects a personality that is sophisticated, confident, and glamorous. Black represents strength and authority, while gold symbolizes wealth and luxury. Together, they create an ambiance that exudes richness and indulgence…” — The Kap Designs
The purchase of the $TRUMP coin drove adoption into the Solana ecosystem. First-time crypto participants jumped in at the promise of wealth? Community? A pledge of loyalty? FOMO? A spot in crypto heaven?
In a world where anyone can create meme coins and tokens, thanks to launchpads like pump.fun, those both near and far-removed from crypto’s origin and ethos wield the power to activate masses of people with digital iconography and symbolism.
But the $TRUMP coin is an example for how the ethos of crypto has been flipped upside down. And it begets the question, who benefits and why does it matter?
Parallel Power Structures
The Church held tremendous power during the middle ages. It was considered the most powerful institution in Europe, touching upon nearly every aspect of human life — politics, social order, and personal morality.
But the height of the Church’s power was also at a time in which the population was largely illiterate. The current Web3 climate is treading the same path.
Today, the illiteracy rate for reading has flipped its previous Medieval era at just under 15%. However, even though global literacy rates for reading have improved, there is a critical challenge affecting healthy crypto adoption — economic and Web3 illiteracy.
Illiteracy makes for a powerful lever of control. It’s why propaganda is so powerful. It’s why fake news continues to be so successful.
From priests to POTUS to KOLs to influencers to businesses and their moguls, both crypto native and traditional organizations are positioned to use salvific memes for any sinister or saintly purpose.
And the dangers that befall those eager for their slice of crypto heaven, lie in wait.
The Promise of Salvation
Memes offer up a desirable promise that much of the world is after right now, financial freedom or sparkling diamond hands.
Centuries ago the promise of heaven etched in glass ushered swaths of people into obedient behaviors. Tethered to the story of salvation was the requirement of belief.
Have ye no faith?
Meme coin and token creators, brands, businesses, and investors can also push out stories about who they are and what they are building that rest on the fragility of faith.
No need to think. No need to research. Don’t seek to understand the underlying math. I will set my body on fire, so believe in my token! Just look at the pretty pictures and Have some faith.
Or they can push out meme coins that, “raise capital, drive engagement, and weaponize virality,” where, according to Marc Baumann of 51 Insights, “early users drive the hype, the engagement, the network effects.”
This perspective flips the salvation story once again to create fertile ground for collective co-creation in which the creation and release of meme coins are portals for a financial utopia.
Instead of stained glass UI that crystalizes heaven, early adopters and meme coins and tokens creators can co-create it.
The Literacy Cycle
Once the Gutenberg press revolutionized access to information in the 15th century, literacy rates grew, and the powers of the Church were directly affected; it divided, breaking into three branches: Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox. The religious stories and their promises are told across 45,000 denominations. And the power that the Church once wielded through its story, lessened.
Thousands of meme coins and tokens offer up a sliver of the greater crypto story to a population that is vulnerable to the fragility of the global economy.
With anti-grift alert messages like, DYOR as the sole protective shield for crypto converts, I wonder what stories will rise up into the space next, and what will be their consequences?
Will the ethos of crypto’s origins prevail? Will the moguls continue to slide in and puppet crypto as a money story?
I remain curious.