Coinbase's Base network is facing mounting criticism following the collapse of viral journalist Nick Shirley's creator token on Zora.

The token briefly reached a $9 million market capitalization on December 28 before dropping 66% to $3 million within two days.

The rapid decline has reignited debate about whether creator coins can sustain meaningful onchain activity.

Shirley gained mainstream attention through viral videos documenting alleged daycare fraud in Minnesota that accumulated over 100 million views.

What Happened

Coinbase Chief Executive Officer Brian Armstrong promoted Shirley's token launch on social media as evidence that "content monetizes better on Base."

The token generated $7.9 million in trading volume but failed to maintain its initial valuation.

Trader notthreadguy argued in a widely-shared critique that if Shirley couldn't make creator coins work, "nobody could."

Multiple Base developers and community members have complained that official support has become narrowly focused on Zora-linked initiatives.

One Base builder questioned why projects should remain on the network "if you're not part of the favored narrative."

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Why It Matters

Base has positioned creator coins as a key strategy following earlier experiments with Friend.tech and Farcaster.

Market research projects SocialFi to reach $10 billion by 2033 with 17.5% annual growth.

However, most trading volume came from existing cryptocurrency traders rather than new users entering the ecosystem.

Armstrong responded to criticism by posting about having "a great chat" with community members and receiving "lots of good ideas."

The incident highlights ongoing challenges in converting viral social media moments into sustainable blockchain-based monetization.

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