(Invitation code economics: Why is everyone in social circles always 'seeking codes'?)
As new AI titans emerge—from Manus to Button Space, and then to Lovart—social circles instantly transform into large-scale code-seeking events. This scene is reminiscent of the 'seed request' on film forums twenty years ago, except what is being contested now is the passport to the digital world.
1⃣ A century-old viral marketing code
The origin of all this can be traced back to a whimsical idea in the 1929 Hungarian novel (Chain): just five people can connect with anyone in the world. This insight gave birth to the famous 'six degrees of separation' theory, becoming the mathematical cornerstone of social networking—if each person invites 30 people, 6 levels of transmission can cover the global population.
In 1997, the father of social networks, Weinreich, first practiced this theory on SixDegrees, seven years before Facebook. Today's 'People You May Know' recommendation feature is still a digital embodiment of this theory.
2⃣ The most successful 'forced marketing' in history
When Gmail emerged in 2004, its 1GB capacity shocked the world (at that time, Hotmail only offered 2MB). Due to 300 outdated Pentium III computers as servers, Google was forced to adopt an invitation system. Surprisingly:
Invitation codes were auctioned to $150 on eBay
Users see using Gmail as a badge of identity
The psychology of 'limited privilege' triggers frenzied spread
Ten years later, Zhihu replicated this strategy, early on strictly screening through manual reviews, with big names like Kai-Fu Lee and Lei Jun personally answering questions. This elite circle created a rapid establishment of Zhihu's professional image.
3⃣ Invitation-based carnival in the AI era
When OpenAI launched Sora, it only invited film experts for testing, and the scarcity attracted global attention. The Chinese team took the opportunity to break through—tools like Keli and PixVerse rose to prominence. Similar cases include:
Decentralized social protocol ethos: Using NFT as an invitation code, transforming digital identity into social assets
AI Search Perplexity: Completely open in defiance, gaining 2 million users in 4 months
4⃣ The operational logic of using a little to push a lot
The underlying principle of the invitation system's explosive popularity:
Scarcity premium: Early strong push for invitation system in the Cookie project
@cookiedotfun
This is different from Kaito's deep interaction through top influencers
Layer Filtering: Ethos gathers core Web3 users through NFT thresholds, ensuring community purity
Trust transfer: Friend recommendations convert 30% better than ads
Stress testing: Small-scale trial and error to avoid server crashes
Beware of the double-edged sword of invitation systems
Failure case warning on risks:
Manus faced a decline in reputation after opening registration, proving that hunger marketing needs to grasp the rhythm
Caution for startup teams: An AI tool issued 500 invitation codes, but only 5 were active the next day
The ultimate rule is product strength
Invitation codes are just amplifiers, they cannot turn stone into gold!
Truly savvy product people understand: The 'code-seeking' frenzy in social circles is essentially a trust pre-sale where users vote with their feet. Without solid strength of 1GB capacity, don't play with the invitation system—after all, users in the digital age have already learned to vote by uninstalling. #cookie #ethos $BTC