Tooker Kurlson: the most powerful community stimulation of the last 5 years - how satire is conquering the crypto world
The idea of the network effect, a concept that is crucial to the spread of platforms and technologies such as telephones, messenger services, social media, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, is applied particularly effectively by Tooker Kurlson ($TOOKER), the world's first crypto meme media station. Tooker Kurlson uses satire via short videos as a tool to generate ironic and entertaining content about the crypto universe. This approach allows more and more users to be attracted by the uniqueness and quality of the content, similar to a successful Netflix series format that retains viewers through ongoing engagement.
The network effects that Tooker Kurlson achieves can best be illustrated by comparisons with other cultural phenomena. For example, building the community around Tooker Kurlson is similar to collecting Panini stickers, Pokémon cards, wines or whisky, where the pleasure and value increases with each additional piece collected.
Each new follower enriches and enlarges the community, which continuously increases the overall value of the memecoin. In contrast to previous initiatives such as the Stromberg films, where supporters merely found their name in the credits, Tooker Kurlson offers its fans the opportunity to benefit directly from the success of the media station, which further increases the incentive to participate or invest and share within their own network.
What is behind Tooker Kurlson (short $TOOKER)?
Tooker Kurlson is a fictional character, the Tooker Memecoin based on the Solana blockchain, designed as a satire on the American TV presenter and political commentator Tucker Carlson. The parody is shown on a YouTube channel and Twitter and provides humorous and exaggerated insights into political events and the world of cryptocurrencies. In sharp contrast to Carlson, who is known for his direct and often polarising approach to social and political issues, Tooker Kurlson ($TOOKER) is a parody of the person. It should therefore be emphasised that Tucker Carlson is neither behind the channel nor in any way associated with the $TOOKER project. The use of his personality is purely for parodic purposes.
For example, in the video ‘Trump DESTROYS Biden Leading Into 2024 Elections!’ which ties in with the upcoming US elections, the two presidential candidates are parodied and have to tell each other what they like about each other in a mock TV show. No political content is created, but the aim is to ironically convey topical issues of the day.
What is a memecoin?
A memecoin is a category of cryptocurrency that mostly originated from internet jokes or meme culture. As a digital currency, they are often characterised by humorous or viral content and often bear the faces of popular internet phenomena, such as the Shiba Inu dog, which was immortalised in the most famous memecoin, the Dogecoin.
Unlike other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, which rely on complex technical mechanisms and practical use cases, memecoins generally offer no such technical features. Their popularity and value are often based on the sense of community and entertainment value they offer, rather than technical superiority or utility. The best comparison to illustrate this is again with Panini stickers and Pokémon cards, as their value is strongly determined by their popularity, community and rarity. Limited editions, special editions or extra good cards, using the example of Panini stickers, such as a sticker of Lionel Messi, the best footballer, can be highly sought-after and thus drive up their value. The value of memecoins is similarly dependent on market sentiment and the perception of scarcity. The value of memecoins can therefore also be strongly influenced by social media and viral trends.
Tooker Coin vs Dogecoin: differences between the memecoins
Tooker Coin:
Based on satirical character Tooker Kurlson (Tucker Carlson parody).
Increasing the network effect through short videos and token burning.
Active community participation through token burning and governance model.
Based on Solana blockchain, uses token burning to increase value.
Dogecoin:
Originated in 2013 from internet joke with Shiba Inu dog as mascot.
Originally a fun currency, it developed into a community with a wide range of applications.
Large and active community with a focus on humour, self-irony and memes.
Based on Litecoin blockchain, has a limited number of coins.
Although Tooker Coin and Dogecoin are both meme currencies, they differ significantly in terms of origin, objective, community and technology. Tooker Coin takes a more strategic approach, while Dogecoin was created more for fun and has a large, active community.
What are network effects in general?
Network effects occur when the value or benefit of a product or service increases as the number of users increases. This phenomenon is particularly widespread in the world of technology and digital media, but can also be found in other areas and is an important factor contributing to the success of a company.
In total, there are 16 different types of network effects, which differ in terms of their influence and how they work. One of these is the ‘one-sided network effect’, which $TOOKER refers to. One-sided network effects occur when the benefit of a product or service increases directly with the number of users who use the same product or service. In this case, there are no different user groups that interact, but all users contribute to the network effect in the same way.
WhatsApp is a good example to explain the one-sided network effect. The messaging app quickly became popular because the value of the app for each user increased the more people used it. The more friends and acquaintances use the app to communicate, the more useful it becomes for the individual user, who can communicate with more people via the same app. As a result, more and more people use the app.
What is the flywheel effect?
The flywheel effect reinforces the network effect described above by setting a self-reinforcing cycle in motion: The more people use the product, the more attractive it becomes to more users. You can imagine it like a large wheel that is initially difficult to set in motion, but once it is running, its own momentum makes it run more easily and faster.
To come back to the example of WhatsApp: The communication tool became popular so quickly because every new user made the app more valuable for all existing users. Since you could only fully benefit from WhatsApp if your friends and family also used the app, users actively invited their network to sign up. Through this process, there was no need for traditional marketing as the user base grew through word of mouth and the direct benefit that each new subscriber brought. Tooker Kurlson is also experiencing self-sustaining growth through the flywheel effect, so marketing is no longer needed.
What is so special about Tooker Kurlson?
Tooker Kurlson produces ironic and humorous parodies in the form of short videos that are published as a series on YouTube. At a time when entertainment and edutainment are more important than ever for reaching people, this format is ideal for building a community and generating reach. The number one programme on German television, ‘Tagesschau’, is a suitable counterexample to this type of format.
Source: Statista 2024
Viewership figures for the programme in recent years have stagnated. Of course, the COVID-19 years 2020 and 2021 were a positive exception. The reason for this is obvious when you realise that people are reached and retained through entertainment. Viewers are no longer able to maintain their attention as outsiders who receive dry information about current affairs. In the age of insta-reels, Tik Tok and YouTube shorts, pure content delivery is becoming less and less effective. What is needed is much more of an entertaining presentation, as Tooker Kurlson does in his short videos, for example.
Originally, the videos served purely as marketing to draw attention to the Tooker Memecoin, which originated from the parody about Tucker Carlson, and to sell it better. The fact that Tooker Kurlson became a mediastation is due to an idea from Ran, who has the crypto-mediastation ‘Crypto Banter’ in South Africa. Crypto Banter is the largest YouTube channel dedicated to altcoin analyses. Altcoins are cryptocurrencies that were developed after Bitcoin and often offer new technological features or improvements. They comprise a variety of digital tokens that differ from Bitcoin in their different technological approaches or use cases. Through a co-operation between Ran and Tooker Kurlson, Tooker Kurlson is basically doing with memecoins what Crypto Banter is doing with altcoins.
What does ‘burning’ mean?
Burn refers to the permanent removal of cryptocurrencies from circulation. This is done by sending the coins to an address from which they can no longer be retrieved. This process reduces the total number of coins available and helps to increase the scarcity of a cryptocurrency and potentially increase its value if demand remains the same or increases.
Tooker Kurlson utilises the concept as follows: The more views the short videos generate, the more sponsorship the channel receives. Tooker Coins are bought back and burnt from this income. Due to the limited number of tokens available, their value increases as a result of this shortage, which means it is a deflationary process. Accordingly, each new viewer increases the attractiveness of the platform for further sponsors, which in turn generates funds to buy back the tokens that are burnt. As a result, every viewer receives an indirect share in the success of the medium.
In practice, this looks like this: Four days ago, on 4 May 2024, the value of the Tooker tokens was around $0.08 and 29,569,354406004 tokens were burnt. Multiplying the number of burnt tokens by their value gives the total value of burnt tokens, which is $2,365.54. As there were two sponsorships in week 18, Tooker Kurlson received just under $1,200 per sponsorship through his reach.
Although Tooker Kurlson's project is still in its infancy, his idea ties in with this very fact, as they achieve active participation from individual users. In terms of marketing, this seems to be the ideal time for the project, as the upcoming presidential elections in America could increase awareness of Mediastation and its reporting.
Of course, the coin is very volatile, as it currently still has a low market capitalisation.
Conclusion
Tooker Kurlson demonstrates how the unique combination of entertainment, economic strategy and technology can stimulate network effects. Through the use of satire and humour, Tooker Kurlson continually manages to attract and retain viewers in a similar way to popular Netflix series. When you watch a good series, you tell your friends about it and recommend that they watch it too. Based on the recommendation, they will most likely also start streaming the series, which ultimately leads to higher viewership of the Netflix series.
At the same time, the deflationary effect of token burn, where a portion of the cryptocurrency is periodically removed from circulation permanently, not only promotes value stability, but can also increase the value of the tokens if demand remains or increases. This approach shows how the combination of entertainment and smart economic practices can promote sustainable value growth and a dynamic community.
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