Crypto Social Media: Where to Get Started

Note: While this article highlights several social media platforms, Gemini does not endorse the use of any of them. Users should always do their research when engaging with social media platforms.

The Evolution of Crypto Content

When Bitcoin launched in 2009, the social media landscape was still in a period of relative infancy. Instead of taking to crypto Twitter to discuss and announce the project like many crypto projects today, Bitcoin’s anonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto unveiled the project on the Cryptography Mailing List, an email list dedicated to cryptographic technologies and their political impact. He subsequently created Bitcointalk, an online forum, to host bitcoin-related discussions.

Though public crypto groups like the Cryptography Mailing List and Bitcointalk still exist, the crypto community has expanded into myriad other platforms as blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum have become household names. Platforms like Twitter, Telegram, Discord, Clubhouse, and Twitter Spaces serve as gathering places and information hubs, hosting announcements from crypto companies and projects in addition to fostering discussions, commentary, market analysis, and memes.

Credible Crypto Twitter vs. Crypto Twitter Scams

Twitter is one of the crypto community’s most frequented social media platforms and hosts a variety of content including commentary and news. Likewise, most crypto companies and projects maintain their own pages and tweet content from their Twitter accounts, including updates about rapidly developing events such as hacks or rollouts of new features. However, it is crucial that you verify that a company, person, or project’s account belongs to whom it purports to belong — scammers often imitate credible crypto Twitter accounts and attempt to dupe users into sending them cryptocurrency. Likewise, parody accounts abound, so it is important to not consume information from crypto Twitter uncritically. You can click here to find the Twitter accounts of Cryptopedia’s Expert Network members.

Crypto Telegram Groups & Discord Crypto Servers

Telegram and Discord are two messaging apps that host a wide range of crypto-related channels and groups. Telegram has the appearance of a traditional chat room and messaging app. It gained popularity during 2017 and 2018 when many projects launched channels to promote their initial coin offerings (ICOs) and facilitate communication with their investors. In addition to channels for individual projects, Telegram hosts popular user-curated crypto Telegram groups about topics such as decentralized finance (DeFi) and crypto trading, each with thousands of members.

Discord, originally designed for gamers, became the forum of choice for much of the crypto industry when it was widely adopted by DeFi projects and social tokens communities. Discord includes some crypto-enabled features, such as tipping in tokens and cryptocurrencies, and the Discord server structure allows groups to create multiple channels for discussion. Additionally, the platform is home to token-gated communities, which require users to have a certain balance of a particular token to gain access to the group or certain channels within the group.

Like Twitter, Telegram and Discord crypto groups have also been frequented by scammers, who often impersonate real people for nefarious reasons or attempt to lure users into sham investment schemes. It’s generally a good idea to carefully check the validity of any Telegram crypto groups or Discord accounts before becoming too engaged with them.

Crypto Twitter Spaces and the Clubhouse App

Audio-only platforms such as Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces have also become popular with the crypto community. With some planned and others impromptu, these voice chats can provide a new way for the community to connect and discuss a wide range of topics — from non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to upcoming projects to the latest news. These audio-based platforms have provided remarkable value in recreating the collegiate atmosphere of in-person meet-ups or conventions that in many locations were not possible during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces are relatively new platforms. As of H2 2021, Clubhouse remains open to only those who can procure an invite. Meanwhile, although all users can join a Twitter Space, only select Twitter users can host one.

Crypto Discussion Forums

Online blockchain message boards and crypto discussion forums continue to be a popular place for industry enthusiasts to congregate. Though Bitcointalk was originally created to host discussions about Bitcoin, it eventually expanded its focus to discuss other projects and topics such as trading, investing, and mining.

Reddit is also home to much crypto-related content, and hosts subreddits devoted to particular projects in addition to more general topics such as crypto memes, trading, and investing. Reddit crypto trading subreddits are particularly popular.

Additionally, crypto projects are increasingly utilizing Discourse, an open-source discussion platform, to host their forums in which they discuss governance issues, protocol design, and other topics. As previously mentioned with other forms of social media, users should be on the lookout for scams while on forums.

In the emerging and complex online world of cryptocurrency, it can seem difficult to get a grip on the dynamic and vast amount of information at your fingertips. While there are countless ways to follow and connect with your favorite projects and stay up to date with industry conversations, it’s important to ensure that you’re getting your information from reputable sources.