The number of views for cryptocurrency content on YouTube has fallen to its lowest level since January 2021, according to ITC Crypto founder Benjamin Cowen.
Here is a 30 day moving average of views to a lot of different crypto youtube channels.
— Benjamin Cowen (@intocryptoverse) January 11, 2026
So it's not just X and an algorithm change.
Viewership to crypto has been dropping across platforms. pic.twitter.com/zkowe3nb3L
“It’s not just X and algorithm changes,” Cowen stated.
Blogger Tom Crown added that the sharp decline began in October when the market experienced a significant crash, with daily liquidation volumes exceeding a record $19 billion.
“Essentially, since 2021, crypto content has been in a ‘bear market’ and hasn’t come close to previous peak levels,” he noted.
Another YouTube content creator, Jesus Martinez, agreed with Crown, stating that none of his videos have been able to replicate the success of those created during the 2021 hype.
Bitcoin investor known as polaris_xbt described the current levels of social interest as indicative of a prolonged downtrend.
This is literally bear market levels of social interest.
— polaris_xbt (@polaris_xbt) January 11, 2026
What if we were in bear market for altcoins for over a year now… Altcoins bottom ~350 days after they peak.
We peaked in December 2024, so the bottom was very likely in December of 2025. pic.twitter.com/tKVDWpsl4U
“What if we have been in a bear market for altcoins for over a year now… The bottom for altcoins usually occurs about 350 days after their peak. We peaked in December 2024, so the bottom likely came in December 2025,” he added.
Issues with X
A similar decline in engagement has also been observed on Elon Musk's social media platform. Recently, CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju criticized the platform for limiting the reach of content related to digital assets.
This is why "crypto" posts are getting banned by the X algorithm. Bots generated 7,754,367 posts yesterday, up 1,224%. pic.twitter.com/xhnlhE1V8D
— Ki Young Ju (@ki_young_ju) January 10, 2026
He emphasized that X is effectively punishing real users while ignoring the root problem—its inability to distinguish between real people and bots.
According to Ju's observations, 7.7 million posts were created in just one day, which is 1200% above the normal level. He believes this flood of low-quality content triggers algorithmic suppression mechanisms that also limit visibility for genuine crypto accounts.
“With the rise of AI, bots have become inevitable. […] But it’s absurd that X is more willing to block crypto content than to improve its bot detection systems,” the expert stated.
Previously, X's product director Nikita Bir explained the visibility issues for cryptocurrency content on the platform as a result of excessive activity, which sparked controversy. He later deleted his post following a wave of criticism.
Traders Are Fatigued
Experts believe the decline in engagement is due to retail investors becoming exhausted from pump-and-dump schemes and scam altcoins.
Stop the scam pump n dumps, every “altcoin” is pretty much a ponzi, without X/yt/tiktok shills there is zero reasons for any of the tokens to exist
— Cloud9 Markets (@cloud9markets) January 12, 2026
Retail is tired of getting rekt —
Invest in quality assets, buy index funds if u too busy, buy gold
Enough of this crypto Bs
“Retail investors are just tired of constant losses. […] Enough of this crypto nonsense,” commented a user named Cloud9 Markets.
Another Bitcoin enthusiast under the pseudonym Dear Bitcoiner noted the high level of politicization on X and other social media platforms, emphasizing that his feed has recently become more about politics than markets.
Another expert, MSB Intel, suggested that investors might be shifting to precious metals and other assets:
“People want returns, not stories about when they might appear. 2025 was tough. Bitcoin fell by 7%, while palladium, rhodium, cobalt, silver, and gold outperformed it.”
It’s worth noting that at the end of December, Google searches for the term “cryptocurrency” plummeted to a yearly low.