A Bitcoin meme movement: Why have many celebrities, including Musk, changed to "laser eyes" avatars?
With the evolution of memes, laser eyes have become inseparable from Bitcoin.This article was published by Rhythm BlockBeats.
Since Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly supported Bitcoin, he has taken on another role—Bitcoin evangelist. On February 20, Elon Musk suddenly changed his profile picture to that of a girl with "laser eyes," set against a Bitcoin background.
This profile picture was originally an image Musk had used on Twitter before, with the focus not on the Bitcoin logo but on the red "laser eyes." If you search for the hashtag “#LaserRayUntil100K” on Twitter, you will find that under Musk's leadership, Twitter has become a sea of laser eyes.
Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy, Meltem Demirors, CSO of CoinShares, and even U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis have all become participants in this movement.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk's Twitter avatar
U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis's Twitter avatar
Laser Eyes and Bitcoin
So what do laser eyes signify?
Neeraj Agrawal, communications director at the cryptocurrency think tank Coin Center, stated: "Laser eyes are meant to convey activated and continuously increasing power levels." "Think about when characters in movies have glowing eyes."
According to the website Know Your Meme (Note: Know Your Meme is a website and video series that uses Wiki software to document and explain various internet memes and other viral phenomena), characters with glowing eyes have been widely used as memes since the release of the video game Mass Effect 2 in 2010. In the game, when enemies are controlled by another entity, their eyes emit a yellow glow. Subsequently, people used Photoshop techniques to add the title "Controlled" to these types of images, giving birth to a meme.
If you want to generate your own laser eyes, you can click here.
As the meme evolved, laser eyes became inseparable from Bitcoin.
On Twitter, many Bitcoin evangelists tirelessly promote Bitcoin. As the price of Bitcoin continues to rise, on February 15, crypto podcast host Greg Zaj initiated a "#LaserRayUntil100K" campaign on Twitter, aiming to wait for Bitcoin to break the $100,000 mark.
Tweets under this topic all used "laser eyes" as images, seemingly indicating that they have been "recruited" or "controlled," deeply believing that Bitcoin will surge to $100,000.
Tweets from Twitter users under the #LaserRayUntil100K topic
As Bitcoin surpassed $56,000, this campaign also garnered attention from various parties. Rhythm BlockBeats compiled a list of some well-known individuals participating in this event, including KOLs from the crypto field, financial industry elites, and even politicians.
- Tesla CEO: Elon Musk
- MicroStrategy CEO: Michael Saylor
- CoinShares CEO: Meltem Demirors
- Blockstream CSO: Samson Mow
- SEC Senator: Cynthia Lummis
- Bankless Founder: David Hoffman
- Gemini Founders: Winklevoss twins
- Bitcoin Core Developer: Jimmy Song
- Renowned U.S. Economic Analyst: Preston Pysh
- Famous Computer Scientist, Cryptographer, and "Bitcoin Gold" Inventor: Nick Szabo
- Notable Derivatives Trader and Podcast Host: Tone Vays
When the Canadian Quadriga cryptocurrency exchange went bankrupt, inspector Magdalena Gronowska, who helped establish the 3iQ Bitcoin fund, stated: "#LaserRayUntil100K is Bitcoin creators coming together to celebrate the 100,000 in our eyes." As for whether she would keep her Twitter avatar's "laser eyes" until Bitcoin's price reaches $100,000, she said, "It will last for a few months."
So how long until Bitcoin reaches $100,000?
Since January of this year, Bitcoin has reached new highs, rising from $29,000 at the beginning of the year to $56,000, an increase of 93%. Institutional enthusiasm for Bitcoin investment seems to remain strong.
Since February of this year, more well-known figures have expressed their views on Bitcoin, in addition to Tesla founder Musk. Influential figures in the business world, such as Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, and Wang Xing, founder of Meituan, have all recently shared new perspectives.
On February 18, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates discussed his views on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies again on CNBC's Squawk Box: "I have taken a neutral stance on Bitcoin." In 2018, Bill Gates referred to Bitcoin as "a type of investment based on the 'greater fool theory.'"
On the same day, perhaps influenced by ARK Investment's research report on Bitcoin, Dan Bin, chairman of Shenzhen Dongfang Port Investment Management Co., Ltd., stated on Weibo, "I have purchased 1% of a Bitcoin ETF fund. Although it's a bit late, I want to act once I understand! I hope to maintain curiosity about new things!"
On February 19, MicroStrategy revealed that it had raised $1.05 billion for Bitcoin investment through the sale of convertible bonds.
Although the industry previously believed that institutional investors were the driving force behind this bull market, as interest in Bitcoin continues to rise across society, retail investors' enthusiasm for entering the market is also being heightened. Bitcoin, once known only to a niche group of geeks, is entering the mainstream and broader public view.
On-chain data shows that Bitcoin miners have gradually begun to sell, which also means that the influence of miners on the market will gradually diminish. If no black swan events occur, the bull market is expected to continue, and the prices of mainstream cryptocurrencies may rise in a short period. However, as mentioned earlier, the large-scale entry of institutions also brings uncertainty and risks to the crypto market.
It is important to note that due to the high degree of freedom in the crypto market, it can surge or plummet within a day; after all, the "3.12" incident serves as a cautionary tale. If institutions start to sell off, it could lead to more serious situations in the crypto market. Investors must exercise caution and avoid blindly chasing high prices.
