This is especially normalized in crypto and in business… and we’ve just… accepted it. The culture of clout-chasing, follow-for-follow, engagement farming, and surface-level networking has conditioned people to move with hidden agendas. Support becomes currency. Relationships become leverage. And somewhere along the way, genuine connection got replaced with calculated optics. But here’s the thing… just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s correct. You have the agency to opt out of that cycle entirely. To build differently. To support people because you actually believe in what they’re doing, to network because you’re genuinely curious, and to show up consistently without keeping score. That kind of integrity compounds. Maybe not immediately, maybe not loudly. But it attracts the right people, creates the right opportunities, and keeps your conscience clean in spaces that have a habit of clouding it. The standard was set low. You don’t have to meet it there.