The Tribalism of Blockchains
L1s Fight for Eyes, L2s Scale the Dream
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Crypto’s a wild place, right? Scroll Twitter (I’m not calling it X or Xwitter) and you’ll see Ethereum “big brains” clashing with Solana speed freaks while Bitcoin maxis sip coffee in the corner, unbothered. These aren’t just blockchains, they’re pretty much tribes. Layer 1s are the sovereign chiefs battling for attention in a space where devs, users, and capital are the ultimate prizes. Layer 2s, you ask? They’re the megaphones, amplifying each tribe’s vision into niches that work for the masses.
This is the attention economy, after all. Where focus is king, and every L1’s got a flag to plant. Let’s break down the tribes, see how L2s juice their game, and peek at what’s next. Spoiler: It’s very messy, tribalistic (obviously), and the reason why crypto keeps moving despite the Tariff shenanigans.
L1s: The Attention Economy OGs
L1s are the base-layer blockchains. Think Ethereum, Solana, Bitcoin, all running their own rules, consensus, and state. But they’re not just “tech stacks” as the native devs would have you believe; they’re attention magnets in a crowded room. Devs can’t build everywhere, users won’t juggle 50 wallets, and investors? They’re always chasing the next big narrative. This essentially means that L1s turn into tribes, each with a unique identity; composability, speed, security or whatever else they choose to represent. Ultimately all hustling for your eyeballs and your onchain TXs.
Then enter the L2s, the sidekicks that don’t reinvent the wheel but scale it. They take the L1s core vision, whether it's Ethereum's DeFi dominance or Bitcoin's payment purity and crank it up for real-world use. It’s a two-punch combo: L1s grab the spotlight, L2s make it stick.
The Tribes of Layer 1: Who’s Running the Show?
Let’s meet the crews defining crypto in 2025.
Ethereum: The Composability Tribe
Vibe: Lego for degens. Stack protocols like Uniswap or Aave and watch DeFi or NFTs bloom with all this composability. Chances are, if it’s a “meta”, it was probably first on Ethereum.
Crew: Devs who’ll pay gas fees for the biggest sandbox. Costs sting, but the ecosystem’s unmatched. Whales who want access to the most liquid market.
Big Win: Composability keeps it king, even with L2s stealing some thunder.
Solana: The Speed Tribe
Vibe: Low-latency heaven. Serum traders, Pump.fun Lottery players and recently, the AI inference humble abode.
Crew: Speed chasers who shrug off decentralisation. “Fast and cheap” is the gospel.
Big Win: Transactions that don’t make you wait or broke (Otherside NFT Mint day)
Bitcoin: The Security Tribe
Vibe: The OG. Simple, secure, decentralized to the core.
Crew: Maximalists who’d just HODL over anything else (and who can blame them?). Lightning attempts to keep it practical, and Ordinals/BRC20s tried to make it a bit more fun.
Big Win: Faith that doesn’t budge, ever.
Aptos & Sui: The Move Tribe
Vibe: Move language for slick, safe scaling. PancakeSwap's already onboard with Aptos and you're seeing more projects porting their dApps over there every day.
Crew: Devs geeking out on new tools that dodge bugs.
Big Win: Fresh tech for a scalable future.
Monad: The Performance Tribe
Vibe: EVM-compatible speed demon (still in testnet). Think trading-based apps and AI, all wanting the speed but not wanting to program Rust-based smart contracts.
Crew: Ethereum devs who want Solana’s pace without switching stacks.
Big Win: Fast and familiar. Also a cult.
Story Protocol: The Creator Tribe
Vibe: Tokenized IP for artists and writers. Think digital art or music royalties on chain (but this time it’ll work, fr).
Crew: Creators who want ownership, not just exposure.
Big Win: Crypto meets culture, not just a crash (to everyone’s disbelief)
Berachain: The Liquidity Tribe
Vibe: Proof-of-Liquidity (PoL) and a tri-token flex (BERA, BGT, HONEY) since its February 2025 mainnet drop.
Crew: Yield farmers and DeFi heads securing the chain while stacking gains.
Big Win: Liquidity that pays, literally.
Abstract: The Consumer Tribe
Vibe: Degens who want to extend the fun to the non-crypto crowd.
Crew: Devs who don’t want to fork uniswap with a token and make something that isn’t DeFi for the umpteenth time.
Big Win: Unfaltering UI/UX, making actual sense of the notorious crypto user experience.
The Rest of the Pack
Cardano: Research nerds dreaming.
NEAR: Accessibility champs onboarding the normies through whatever means necessary.
BNB Chain: Binance pragmatists keeping it practical.
Polkadot: Grandfather of Interoperability
Each tribe’s got its hook. The reason to scream “pick me!” in a sea of options.
L2s: Turning Tribal Vibes Into Big Moves
L2s may not run the show, seeing as they piggyback on L1s for security however, they dial up the usability. They’re the amplifiers, taking a tribe’s core idea and scaling it into something you can use. The way they decide to do so is what makes L2s a lot more interesting. You can see the overall L2 as a “bet” on the medium they think will scale up their native L1s.
Ethereum L2s: Arbitrum pumps DeFi volume, Optimism toys with DAO governance, Base gives it a “regulatory” wrapper, and so so so many more. They all keep Ethereum’s composability alive without the gas pain.
Bitcoin’s Lightning Network: Instant payments that don’t ditch BTC’s security ethos.
Solana’s Termina: Doubling down on speed.
Berachain’s Future L2s: Early days, but they’re definitely are experimenting.
Newer tribes like Monad, Abstract or Story will most probably spawn L2s soon because at the end of the day, it’s all about stretching the tribe’s reach without getting lost in the sauce.
Devs and Users: Who’s Riding With Who?
Devs pick tribes based on what clicks:
Tooling: EVM fam sticks to Ethereum or Berachain; Move fans hit Aptos/Sui.
Use Cases: Story’s IP play pulls creators, Berachain’s PoL lures DeFi builders.
Performance: Monad’s testnet has speed junkies drooling, with Solana devs testing ideas in realtime with that speed already available.
Users? They’re simpler:
Cost: Solana’s pennies win traders.
Reliability: Ethereum’s uptime keeps the cautious comfy.
Purpose: Bitcoin for HODLing.
Twitter, Discord, and Telegram aren’t just hangouts; they’re the engines that turn blockchain tribes into cults, and devs are the spark. These platforms give developers a direct line to their faithful, letting them drop updates, tease roadmaps, or just vibe with the crowd. Think Berachain’s pre-mainnet run: devs didn’t just push code; they dangled NFTs and yield promises like catnip, turning degens into a frothing mob camping out for airdrops. Twitter’s the megaphone with devs blasting out manifestos or clapping back at haters, setting the tribe’s pulse. Discord’s the clubhouse, where real-time chats with the team feel like backstage passes. Telegram? That’s the bat signal, Quick pings and alpha drops that keep the inner circle buzzing. This isn’t passive PR; it’s devs stoking loyalty and giving users a sense of ownership.
This isn’t a one-way street; it’s a feedback frenzy. Users bring the energy like hype, rage, or straight-up demands and devs (for better or worse) lean in, tweaking the project to match the tribe’s pulse. It’s messy, loud, and a little unhinged, but that’s the juice. Platforms like these don’t just amplify the cult, they’re arguably the glue that keeps devs and users riding together, for better or worse.
The intention of this is quite simple. Devs and users are locked in a loop where every ping tightens the bond.
Growth: Winning the Attention Game
Tribes don’t just sit pretty (or more specifically, they can’t unless you’re Ethereum). They need to hustle:
Airdrops: Berachain’s BERA drop had wallets scrambling.
Grants: Ethereum’s dev cash keeps the code flowing.
Hype: Solana’s meme lords and X battles stay loud.
L2s are the ultimate tribal flex, pumping their L1 vibes into new territory. Optimism jacks up Ethereum’s governance game with DAO experiments, letting the tribe steer the ship on everything from funding to upgrades. Lightning Network turns Bitcoin into a merchant’s dream, pushing fast, cheap payments so BTC flexes beyond the HODL crowd. The scoreboard? It’s in the stats: dev commits surge when L2s land (Optimism’s code churn spiked post-launch), active wallets stack up (Lightning’s merchant adoption doubled BTC users in 2024), and ecosystem projects multiply (Arbitrum’s DeFi boom outshines some L1s). That’s the amplifier’s win state. Attention grabbed and influence extended, one L2 at a time.
The Catch: Tribalism’s Messy Side
Crypto’s tribalism isn’t just about code or coins, though. At its worst (arguably the default state), it’s a behavioral dumpster fire where identity and ego turn communities into warring factions. We already know this to be true when we look at Ethereum maxis versus Solana degens: it’s less about tech specs and more like rival cliques scrapping over who’s got the cooler clubhouse. People pick a chain and defend it like it’s their bloodline, hurling insults like “Ethereum’s gas guzzlers” versus “Solana’s centralized slot machine”, all while the real world scrolls past. This loyalty isn’t just loud; it’s also a momentum killer. Instead of pooling brainpower to solve big problems like usability or adoption, tribes waste energy on petty one-upmanship. It’s high school drama with higher stakes. Everyone’s too busy picking teams to notice the game’s slipping away (New L1s too sick and tired of the existing norm)
The chaos gets worse because tribalism thrives on blind spots. Each side clings to its chain’s strengths and shrugs off its flaws like a proud parent excusing a kid’s tantrum. Solana’s mindshare? “Speed’s worth it.” Ethereum’s L2 sprawl? “Decentralization, baby.” Honest critique gets drowned out by cheers and jeers, leaving little room for self-reflection or collaboration. It’s a feedback loop of stubbornness with the tribes doubling down, not to improve, but to win. Meanwhile, outsiders peek in, see the bickering, and leave. Why join a space that’s more about flexing than fixing or creating something new? The counterproductive catch is that this chest-thumping stalls progress, turning a movement into a shouting match.
And then there’s the gamble nobody talks about: the real world doesn’t care about what your tribe’s vibe is. Regulators loom like storm clouds. Newer L1s have a long road ahead with Story Protocol’s IP tokens or Berachain’s governance experiments potentially getting hit by legal hammers, no matter how “decentralized” the pitch. Usually, tribes don’t strategize for that; they’re too busy hyping their superiority to spot the risks. It’s a classic groupthink trap. Loyalty paints red flags as battle scars, and dissenters get labeled traitors. Crypto’s tribal mess isn’t just noise; it’s a self-inflicted wound. The fight to be right overshadows the need to build right, and that’s the catch nobody’s dodging.
The Future: Tribes Together or Apart?
The tribal saga in crypto’s wild west isn’t slowing down any time soon, it’s just going to get weirder. Picture this: tribes might actually start linking up, not out of some kumbaya vibe, but because the tech’s making it hard to stay siloed. Interop-focused chains like Initia are tossing lifelines across ecosystems, letting assets and data zip between tribes without anyone having to ditch their flag. Built on Cosmos, Initia’s play is simple: one wallet, multiple worlds. Swap an Ethereum NFT for Solana tokens? Done. It’s not about picking a side, it’s about what gets the job done. Then you’ve got cross-tribal dApps, the nomads of the space. Think DEXs or marketplaces that don’t care about your L1 loyalty. They’ll pull liquidity from Aptos, fees from Arbitrum, and users from anywhere, smudging those crisp tribal borders into a messy, functional blur.
But it’s not just the connectors stirring the pot. New L1s are crashing the party, and they’re hungry. Monad’s souped-up EVM is gunning for Ethereum’s dev crowd, promising speed that could power trading bots or AI apps without the usual gas-induced choke. Berachain, meanwhile, is flexing its Proof-of-Liquidity muscle; its BERA-BGT-HONEY token trio is the holy trifecta for DeFi yield chasers who’d otherwise camp out on Fantom with their point farming. The spotlight’s swinging, and these upstarts want it all.
Here’s the kicker, though: tribalism’s chaos is the engine. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature. L1s stake their ground, L2s hoist the banners, and the whole space lurches forward on the fumes of rivalry. Innovation doesn’t come from hand-holding, it comes from tribes scrapping to outbuild each other (when they’re not busy shitposting on twitter). Whether they link up, fracture further, or just keep slugging it out, that tension’s what keeps the wheels spinning. The future’s wide open, and it’s a hell of a ride.
This is poetry , well done !