If you've been trading memecoins on Solana, you've probably noticed how fast and cheap transactions can be—until they're not. A recent thread from data analyst Dan Smith (@smyyguy) sheds light on who's really causing those pesky reverted transactions, and it's not your average degen trader. Let's break it down in simple terms.

Reverted transactions, or "reverts," happen when a transaction fails after being processed by the network—think of it like a check bouncing after it's been cashed. On Solana, these can occur due to various reasons, like insufficient funds or smart contract errors. Smith's analysis looks at a 7-day snapshot of Solana addresses segmented by how many transactions they send per day.

The Big Reveal: Bots Dominate Reverts

The standout stat? Just 97 addresses—those sending over 10,000 transactions per day—are behind a whopping 69% of all reverted transactions. These are almost certainly bots, automating high-volume activities like arbitrage or spam. Their revert rate is a sky-high 33.4%, meaning about one in three of their attempts fails.

In contrast, everyday users sending 1-5 transactions per day (which make up 94.1% of unique addresses) only see a 3.6% revert rate. That's pretty solid—most casual interactions, like transferring SOL or buying an NFT, go through without a hitch.

Where Memecoin Traders Fit In

Smith points out that active memecoin traders likely fall into the 6-50 transactions per day bucket. This group handles 5% of total transactions but pays 32.5% of all fees. Their revert rate? A manageable 7.4%. So, while they're pumping volume into pumps like Dogwifhat or Bonk, they're not the ones clogging the network with failures.

This ties directly into Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko's (@aeyakovenko) idea that memecoin trading subsidizes the network. High-frequency traders (often in memes) generate fees that keep costs low for everyone else, like payment processors or DeFi users. It's like degens are the VIPs covering the bar tab for the whole party.

Improvements Over Time

Things are getting better, too. Compared to last year, revert rates across all groups are down. In an older post from April 2024 that Smith referenced (view here), bots sending over 5,000 tx/day had a 79% failure rate and caused 95% of fails. Now, with network upgrades like better congestion handling, even the spammers are failing less often.

This doesn't capture "dropped" transactions—those that never make it to the chain—which can still frustrate real users. But overall, the data suggests Solana's UX for humans is improving, even as memecoin mania rages on.

Why This Matters for Memecoin Enthusiasts

For anyone building or trading meme tokens on Solana, this is a reminder that the network's health isn't just about speed—it's about who’s using it and how. Bots might be noisy, but memecoin traders are the quiet heroes funding the ecosystem. If you're launching the next big meme, focus on tools that minimize reverts, like optimized wallets with preflight checks.

Stay tuned to Meme Insider for more breakdowns on how blockchain stats impact your favorite tokens. What's your take on Solana's bot problem? Drop a comment or hit up the original thread (here).