GM / Good Morning

About

GM / Good Morning refers to the use of the greeting "GM" in NFT Twitter circles as an abbreviation for "good morning." Although the exact origin of its use in these circles is unknown, interest in its use was first searched for online in January 2017. However, its actual use on Twitter is traceable to early 2018. In 2021, its use in these circles was more prevalent, garnering meme attention and criticism from outsiders who viewed it as a form of gatekeeping within the community.

Origin

"GM" is an abbreviation for "good morning" and has been used online as a common text greeting for nearly two decades (original post unknown). For instance, "GM" was first added to Urban Dictionary ^[1] on September 2nd, 2003, by user Michelle, though it existed before this entry. The definition (shown below) has received 650 likes over the course of 18 years.

Origin as an NFT Greeting

According to Google Trends analytics,^[2] search interest in "nft gm" had a small spike in January 2017. Although the exact origin of this interest is unknown, it's probable that it's related to an increased interest in the NFT market in 2017 in general. This is most likely because some of the first notable NFT projects were launched in 2017, like CryptoPunks, which launched in June 2017, and CryptoKitties, which launched in September 2017.

However, the first known use of "GM" from an NFT-related Twitter user was posted on March 8th, 2018, by Twitter^[3] user @NFT_SHIFTY. The tweet (shown below) was a reply to another NFT-related account, greeting them with a "GM."

Spread

"GM" was used infrequently in NFT Twitter circles throughout 2018 and 2019. For example, Twitter^[4] user @NFT_SHIFTY used it again on April 17th, 2019.

By 2020, more NFT-related Twitter users began using "gm" with varying capitalization. For instance, Twitter^[5] user @Nasty_nft replied with "Gm;)" to a tweet on June 3rd, 2020. Two months later, on August 24th, 2020, YouTube^[6] channel HASHR8 uploaded the first episode of their cryptocurrency podcast, "Good Morning Bitcoin." This first episode (shown below) and the name of the podcast in general, alludes to a momentum building in GM's use as a slang term in NFT circles.

By the beginning of 2021, GM was becoming increasingly prevalent on NFT Twitter. For instance, Twitter^[7] user @CryptoCrazyGirl greeted her followers with "GM" on January 3rd, 2021. On February 13th, 2021, Twitter^[8] user @BeegSmokey tweeted "Good morning gang," and received multiple replies from other NFT Twitter users saying "gm" (shown below).

By September 2021, NFT Twitter users saying "GM" to each other had become prevalent enough that users felt the need to explain what it meant. Twitter^[9] user @punk6529 started a thread on September 1st, 2021, detailing various NFT Twitter slang terms, with the first one being "GM." The tweet (shown below) explained that it simply means "good morning" and it received roughly 1,800 likes over the course of two months.

Memes about NFT Twitter saying "GM" started receiving image macros sparked from this growing awareness, or saturation, of it on the platform. For instance, on September 5th, 2021, Twitter^[10] user @CaliPnL posted a meme of gentlemen Peepos all saying "GM" to each other on a fancy staircase. The meme (shown below) received 224 likes over the course of two months.

On November 8th, 2021, Twitter^[11] user @lessin tweeted, "this 'gm' thing in crypto is unbelievably stupid." His tweet (shown below) received 898 likes as well as multiple memes^[12] from Twitter users that used meme formats such as Average Fan vs. Average Enjoyer to capture a perceived level of jealousy @lessin was emitting.

In contrast, other users agreed with @lessin, like Twitter^[13] user @hyperion1339, whose tweet related the GM trend to "personal prestige, and clubbiness." His tweet received 56 likes in one day. However, his tweet became a copypasta used by other NFT Twitter users to poke fun at his statement.^[14]

Overall, most memes about NFT-related GM use Wojak, Pepe and GigaChad formats. Many of them also reference both NFT cryptocurrencies Ethereum and Solana.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References