Author: Maximilian Brichta, Doctoral Student of Communication, University of Southern California

Rockets aren’t the only thing Elon Musk is sending into the stratosphere. After a three-year plummet, Dogecoin is blasting off again, jumping 250% since the election of Donald Trump – part of a broader wave of optimism in the industry, due to Trump’s courting of crypto advocates during his campaign. Trump’s informal appointment of Musk to what he calls the Department of Government Efficiency – D.O.G.E for short – also helped pump the dog-themed meme coin. This isn’t the first time Musk, who styles himself as “the Dogefather,” has fueled interest in Dogecoin. In May 2021, its price shot up…