On January 22, Messari researcher AJC stated that decentralized social networks are entering a new adjustment phase. Between January 14 and January 21 alone, several core projects experienced directional shifts, triggering a reshaping of the DeSoc track landscape. The Base App shifted from a social tool to a trading application centered on token exchange and wallet functions; Lens Protocol handed over control to Mask Network; Farcaster was acquired by its long-term infrastructure partner Neynar. These chain reactions in a short period indicate that the first round of experiments with "decentralized social platforms" is coming to an end. These changes reveal the real challenges faced by DeSoc. Although Farcaster has raised approximately $180 million, most decentralized social applications remain niche, with user retention and monetization struggling to break through. The high operational costs and sluggish revenue create a gap, forcing teams to seek more direct monetization paths, making trading and wallet tools higher priority. However, this also causes overlap between SocialFi and DeFi tools, increasing competition, and the community's enthusiasm for "social as finance" has noticeably cooled down.

Mask founder Suji Yan expressed support for Neynar's acquisition of Farcaster, emphasizing that increased competition brings benefits, and revealed that she is a minor shareholder of Neynar. Meanwhile, Aave founder Stani announced that the management rights of Lens will be handed over to the Mask team, with the original team serving as advisors.

The future of Lens Protocol will be led by Mask Network, with the original team no longer guiding its development. The project aims to create neutral social infrastructure that supports developers in building applications for mainstream users. Mask Network emphasizes focusing on creating practically useful products and thriving communities.

MetaMask officially announces the addition of native Bitcoin support in its wallet, marking an important step in its multi-chain strategy. Users can now directly purchase Bitcoin with fiat within MetaMask, conduct on-chain transfers, and exchange BTC for EVM native assets or Solana tokens without the need for third-party bridge tools, significantly enhancing the user experience and security. On the technical level, MetaMask has supported native SegWit addresses for Bitcoin and has incorporated Taproot support into its future development plans. This means that the Wallet will further enhance its transaction efficiency, fee optimization, and privacy capabilities. As the Bitcoin mainnet features continue to upgrade, MetaMask is gradually improving its infrastructure capabilities within the BTC ecosystem. This update is not only an expansion of features but is also closely tied to the incentive mechanism. Users performing Bitcoin exchange operations within MetaMask can earn MetaMask reward points, which will be linked to a MASK-style incentive program in the future. According to reports, this program may involve LINEA Tokens worth over 30 million USD to encourage user participation in a multi-chain ecosystem.