Last updated on March 8th, 2026 at 04:46 pm
Decentralized SocialFi platform Zora has unveiled a new “attention markets” feature on Solana, allowing users to speculate on which ideas, hashtags, and internet trends will gain traction online.
According to the platform’s creators, users can deploy a “Trend” by paying 1 SOL, valued at around $85 at launch, a pricing mechanism designed to discourage spam. While Trends themselves do not generate creator rewards, users can create tradable “Pairs” beneath each trend, which offer incentives for creators and encourage participation.
BREAKING: Zora launches attention markets on Solana
You can now start markets and take positions on any trending topic, idea, meme, or momentpic.twitter.com/55c8tM5QnB
— Solana (@solana) February 17, 2026
In promotional material, the platform highlighted examples such as $redlight and $coldplunge under a broader $longevity trend, showcasing how users can trade attention as if it were a digital asset. Early activity shows traders gravitating toward themes like “bitcoin,” “cats,” “dogs,” and “aigirlfriend,” with a live dashboard displaying profits and losses in real time.
Community reaction grows as Base supporters question the move
The expansion to Solana has sparked criticism from members of the Base ecosystem, where Zora had previously built significant momentum. Last year, the platform increased activity on Base. It launched its first token there, helping drive creator-focused experiments that pushed Base ahead of Solana in daily token creation at one point.
Some community figures expressed frustration, arguing that Zora benefited heavily from Base’s support before launching a new flagship product elsewhere. Critics framed the shift as a strategic pivot that raises questions about long-term loyalty to ecosystems.
However, Jesse Pollak, a key figure within Base, offered a more measured view, emphasizing that Zora’s creator tools remain active on Base and noting that experimentation across chains can help expand onchain adoption overall.
Expansion aligns with broader prediction market momentum
The announcement appeared to boost sentiment around the project’s token, with ZORA rising about 6% over 24 hours even as the broader crypto market pulled back during the same period.
The platform is leaning further into this direction, recently posting a job opening for an “Attention Economist”, a role focused on spotting emerging internet culture across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and X before trends go mainstream. Meanwhile, Base app shuts down creator rewards program to prioritize on-chain trading.
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