According to U.Today, Billy Markus, the co-creator of Dogecoin, has publicly criticized a recent study that suggests cryptocurrency investors possess 'dark traits' of personality. The study, reported by the Independent, was conducted on 2,001 adults in the United States, approximately 30% of whom admitted to owning cryptocurrency. The researchers also collected additional information about the participants, including their psychological and political traits.
The study concluded that cryptocurrency owners are likely to have 'dark tetrad' personality traits, including narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism. It also suggested that these individuals rely on 'fringe social media sources', believe in conspiracy theories, and feel victimized. The Independent reported that the strongest predictor of cryptocurrency ownership was reliance on 'fringe social media sources' for news.
Markus, however, strongly disagreed with these findings. He took to social media to express his disagreement, stating, 'I disagree and let me lengthily argue why I am right.' He did not elaborate further on his argument.
The study's emphasis on reliance on 'fringe social media sources' for news is noteworthy, especially considering the recent takeover and rebranding of Twitter by Elon Musk. Now known as X, the platform has been advocating for its users' right to free speech and has reportedly been gaining new users rapidly, becoming a more reliable news source compared to traditional media. Given X's popularity within the crypto community, the study and the article reporting it could be seen as an attempt to discredit both X and the crypto community in the eyes of the American public.