It is in this sense that the carnival of FinTwit is truly a social and psychological phenomenon, one sustained by the convergence of economic desperation, platforms designed for addiction, influencer monetization, permissive disclosure regimes and a culture that has somehow managed to elevate conviction above analysis. Here, Robinhood's name is uttered so that the poor might think they have a fighting chance against the rich, but this promise obscures an inherently extractive architecture.

This concept of financial freedom—not having to trust anyone else—is the logical end point of the belief that the systems of American life cannot be mended, only circumvented. Bitcoin, I was told again and again, was safe wealth specifically because of its distance from central bankers. Though the currency's value was susceptible to the day's memes, it ultimately required confidence only in code. Bitcoiners call this perceived freedom "self-sovereignty," and its emergence as a primary value signals how fully people have lost trust in national institutions.