"Crypto's Shift: Memecoins Wane, Bitcoin & Ethereum Rise"

Crypto markets are showing signs of a potential shift towards a healthier cycle, as interest in memecoins wanes and attention turns back to established cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, according to onchain analytics platform Santiment.

Santiment's social sentiment tracker reveals that top layer-1 blockchains such as Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Toncoin (TON), and Cardano (ADA) are dominating 44.2% of discussions among specific coins. In contrast, the top six memecoins are only capturing 4% of the discussion on social media, indicating a significant change in focus.

This shift could signal a more stable and sustainable market environment, as Bitcoin and layer-1 networks represent the foundational infrastructure of the crypto space. Increased focus on these assets typically reflects a more mature and informed approach by the community, prioritizing security, innovation, and real-world adoption. Layer-1 blockchains support smart contracts, decentralized applications, and network scalability, which are key drivers of long-term growth in the industry.

Traders are discussing Bitcoin and altcoins more than memecoins lately, with memecoins such as Dogecoin (DOGE), Shiba Inu (SHIB), and Pepe (PEPE) being talked about less and less across social media. Santiment speculates that this drop could be due to recent volatility in the memecoin market.

Santiment's social sentiment tracker trawls through crypto-specific social media channels such as X and Telegram for the top 10 words that have seen the most significant increase in social media mentions compared to the previous two weeks. Cycles dominated by memecoins typically signal a phase where traders are chasing short-term gains and often precede market corrections as hype fades.

Meanwhile, Santiment reported that 224,410 Ether exited exchanges between Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, the most significant movement of known exchange wallets in a single day in the last two years. This long-term metric signals confidence by investors in Ethereum's struggling price.

In a separate development, Crypto Dan, a contributor to the onchain analytics platform CryptoQuant, noted that 14,000 Bitcoin that had been inactive for the last seven to 10 years moved throughout Feb. 10. Despite the large volume, these coins have