Does changing your PFP or posting a member badge really count as branding?

I actually think most of the time it's just buying some attention; when things are hot, everyone seems like a "community," but when it cools down, you realize who's actually footing the bill.

Recently, I’ve gone through several project whitepapers and contract permissions, and honestly: long-term value isn’t about how good the PFP looks, but about what "verifiable" things members can actually get—like whether governance rights are just for show, how the treasury funds are spent, whether you can exit, or if the team has a backdoor to change rules with a single click. Without these, even the trendiest PFP is just a one-time skin.

The recent extreme funding rate emotions also seem quite similar: everyone’s arguing whether to reverse or keep squeezing the bubble, but the hype itself doesn’t determine the direction. Anyway, when I see the words "member" now, my first reaction isn’t FOMO, but to ask: am I buying rights, or just the vibe of the group chat.