«Высшая» ступень эволюции: как менялась концепция аирдропов и что ее ждет в будущем

The cryptocurrency landscape is continuously evolving, with projects like **Uniswap**, **Jito**, and **Optimism** pioneering new airdrop mechanisms aimed at fairer reward distribution. These efforts strive to balance user contributions against the rewards they receive, fostering a healthier community.

Refining Airdrop Mechanisms

**Uniswap** conducted a retroactive airdrop for 90% of addresses that interacted with its protocol, excluding only negligible transactions. Similarly, **Jito** implemented a tier system to reward more active addresses with more tokens. **Optimism** took this a step further by determining distribution size based on wallet activities. These mechanisms are designed to reduce user dissatisfaction and strengthen community bonds.

Organic Growth with Wormhole

A contrasting approach is highlighted by **Wormhole**, which distributed tokens in March 2024 without prior marketing campaigns. This led to organic audience growth, as users were genuinely interested in the product. Consequently, the airdrop had minimal impact on the user base size and transaction volume within the ecosystem.

The Rise of “Default Airdrops”

The campaigns by **Aptos**, **Optimism**, and **Arbitrum** have collectively shaped the notion of “default airdrops.” Despite Arbitrum’s initial statements against launching a token, community expectations, influenced by Aptos and Optimism, eventually proved accurate. Conversely, **Sui** faced backlash for opting for a token sale over an airdrop.

Advantages and Drawbacks of Point Programs

The transition to point-based reward systems, as seen with **ZKsync** and **Blast**, has shown both benefits and limitations. For instance, ZKsync witnessed a sharp decline in transactions and TVL post-airdrop, despite extensive efforts to attract an audience. Similarly, Blast’s transaction volume peaked before the airdrop announcement and then dropped significantly.

Expert Insights

Anton Bukov, co-founder of 1inch Network, notes that airdrops and farming share the goal of incentivizing user activity. The key difference lies in the timing and historical basis of rewards. Both mechanisms are crucial in rewarding early participants and fostering initial activity.

Balancing User Engagement and Quality

While point programs can quickly attract users, they may lower audience quality as the primary focus shifts to rewards rather than the product itself. This is evident from **Blast**’s continued point program, which aims to retain users and capital despite the mixed impact on transaction volumes and TVL.
In summary, the evolution of airdrop strategies reflects a continuous effort to balance the quantity and quality of engaged users through increasingly sophisticated incentive systems. As the crypto market matures, these approaches will likely further evolve, shaping the future of community-building in the decentralized ecosystem.