Now, for my opinions:

I strongly believe that any non-PoW-based method to filter spam, which must rely on subjectivity and "rough social consensus," is doomed to fail. Worse, it has a centralizing effect, mirroring the dynamics of Proof-of-Stake. This "social consensus" filtering is just PoS by another name. We've seen this cat-and-mouse movie too many times, especially during the internet's evolution (see: email, SMS, DNS, social media).

Email is the perfect case study. It demonstrates two things: (a) The cat-and-mouse game of subjective filtering inevitably leads to extreme centralization. (b) Bitcoin is luckier than email because it has a built-in spam-mitigation tool: transaction fees.

The cost-benefit analysis for email spam is that it's nearly costless to send, so a 0.001% success rate is a win. All costs are externalized to the network and its users. The cost-benefit for on-chain JPEGs is the opposite: one must pay a higher fee rate per unit of economic value transferred. This cost is internalized by the "spammer" (with some long-term storage costs borne by the network). Therefore, on-chain JPEG spam is inherently unsustainable. Email spam is.

Furthermore, concerns about short-term consequences or chain "bloat" are sufficiently mitigated by the existing blocksize limit. The worst-case scenario is a linear chain growth of 100-200 GB per year. In the grand scheme, this is perfectly acceptable, as the falling cost of storage continues to follow Moore's Law, making this a manageable and decreasing burden over time.

Ultimately, this all comes down to one thing: PoW is the only objective, incorruptible mechanism for separating signal from noise in the digital realm. Chasing a non-PoW filtering method is like chasing a perpetual motion machine, a utopia that defies physics. PoW is about understanding the world and its constraints through the lens of physics. It's the highest signal of truth because it's literally built on the undisputed currency of the universe: energy. Everything that isn't grounded in this way is a pale imitation. Bitcoin's PoW mechanism is a beautiful, profound emulation of the cosmic process that forges gold from energy (neutron star collision). It connects digital truth to physical reality. To truly appreciate Bitcoin is to appreciate this fundamental connection. It's a special, almost sacred, principle, and I believe it's the one that matters most.

What's ironic is that while we debate, the economic reality I described is already playing out. All past and current attempts at selling on-chain JPEGs have fizzled out or are in the process of doing so as people wise up to their true worth. At this rate, people will spend more time talking about filtering JPEGs than the JPEGs themselves will remain relevant.

Spending time debating JPEGs when the mempool is near empty, fee rates at historical low, and people flocking to paper Bitcoin is an inefficient allocation of time and resources.

Believe in PoW. Let's focus on the real fight: making self-custody safe and accessible for everyone. That means working on things like Miniscript, MuSig2, and FROST, more hardware signers and form factors/UX, and education. We must dispel the myth that self-custody is impossible for the average user. Turning as many people as possible into sovereign individuals. That is the real fight.