GM (Good Morning) became crypto Twitter’s tribal greeting and NFT community ritual, signaling membership while critics mocked the cultish positivity and echo chamber dynamics.
The Emergence
“GM” existed long before crypto, but NFT Twitter (2020-2021) made it cultural phenomenon. Every morning, thousands of crypto accounts tweeted single word: “gm”
No punctuation, lowercase, minimal effort—but maximum engagement. Crypto influencers GM’d, followers GM’d back, threads filled with hundreds of “gm” replies.
The greeting became ritual: wake up, check portfolio (probably down), tweet “gm” anyway, maintain optimistic community vibe despite losses.
The Meaning
“GM” signaled more than morning greeting:
- Tribal membership: Crypto native identification
- Bullish optimism: “We’re going to make it” attitude
- Community solidarity: Shared experience acknowledgment
- Meme participation: Self-aware internet culture
- Network effects: Reply to influencers, gain followers
Responding “gm” to notable accounts built social capital. The ritual was networking disguised as friendliness.
The Variations
WAGMI: “We’re All Gonna Make It”—crypto’s optimistic mantra
NGMI: “Not Gonna Make It”—those who don’t understand crypto
GN: “Good Night”—evening counterpart
GM Anon: “Good Morning Anonymous”—addressing unknown followers
Probably nothing: Sarcastic phrase for obviously significant news
The vocabulary created in-group language incomprehensible to outsiders.
The NFT Connection
NFT communities (especially BAYC, Doodles, Azuki) made “gm” essential:
- Discord channels named “gm-chat”
- NFT projects tweeting “gm” to communities
- Profile pictures changed to “gm” variants
- IRL meetups starting with communal “GM!”
The greeting became NFT culture signature—mark of authentic community member vs. outsider.
The Mockery
Critics saw “gm” as:
- Cult behavior: Forced positivity ignoring red flags
- Echo chamber: Reinforcing groupthink
- Spam: Low-value content flooding timelines
- Desperation: Maintaining morale while bags crash
- Engagement farming: Building followers without substance
“GM means ‘Good Morning,’ your portfolio is still down 80%” became counter-meme.
Traditional finance laughed at crypto’s “gm” culture as proof of unseriousness. Journalists writing about crypto inevitably mentioned the bizarre “gm” ritual.
The Commercialization
Opportunists monetized “gm”:
- NFT collections named “GM” sold for ETH
- Merchandise: “gm” t-shirts, hats, mugs
- Podcast/newsletter names incorporated “gm”
- Crypto companies added “gm” to branding
The organic greeting became corporate slogan.
The Persistence
Despite 2022 crypto crash (80%+ decline), “gm” persisted. When Bitcoin crashed from $69K to $16K, crypto Twitter still GM’d.
The ritual’s resilience proved point—crypto community maintained optimism through disaster. Whether delusion or conviction, “gm” survived every crash.
The Parody
Outsiders created parody accounts:
- “gm your coins are still worthless”
- “gm only 3 months until next bull run (copium)”
- “gm wen moon ser?”
The jokes didn’t kill culture—they proved “gm” had transcended crypto into mainstream awareness.
The Cultural Impact
By 2023, “gm” appeared in:
- Major publications describing crypto culture
- Startup/tech Twitter (beyond crypto)
- LinkedIn professional networks
- Youth culture generally
The greeting escaped crypto ghetto to become broader internet culture marker.
The Meaning Evolution
“GM” evolved from genuine greeting to:
- Ironic commentary on crypto tribalism
- Self-aware participation in absurd ritual
- Nostalgia for 2021 bull market optimism
- Continued belief despite evidence (diamond hands mentality)
Whether serious or ironic, everyone knew “gm” meant you were part of The Culture.
Source: Crypto Twitter archives, NFT community Discord logs, internet culture analysis