imho it's going to get much worse once A.I. is fully functional and integrated into corporate/mainstream media... we're already witnessing the effect of A.I. influence on the media, to a lesser degree, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Just keep in mind - if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's most likely a duck.
“‘For I well know the thoughts that I am thinking toward you,’ declares Jehovah, ‘thoughts of peace, and not of calamity, to give you a future and a hope. And you will call me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.’"
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/b/r1/lp-e/nwtsty/24/29#study=discover&v=24:29:11
Tell your friend that if Bitcoin is a fad, it's the all-time longest running fad that's been going on 15 years. Nevertheless, your friend will eventually realize that Bitcoin is not a fad and he will either not be able to afford Bitcoin, or he will end up buying it "at the price that he deserves."
One of my favorite quotes from the late, great comedian George Calin was, "the average IQ and the average human life expectancy are both moving, but in opposite directions."
When you leave your Bitcoin on an exchange like Coinbase, you don't actually control it, since that exchange possesses the 'private keys.'
You're in a dark place right now; I don't know how much of your 'fortune' you've blindly invested so far, so I highly recommend that, for the time being, you leave things as they are and get yourself up-to-speed on learning Bitcoin. Once you've learned the basics of Bitcoin you can begin making sound decisions, i.e. moving your Bitcoin off an exchange, et cetera.
For now learn Bitcoin. A good starting point would be to get a copy of 'The Bitcoin Standard', by Saifedean Ammous - I was able to download a PDF version for free. Next, you'll want to visit the following YouTube channels:
1. Matthew Kratter - Bitcoin University
2. BTC Sessions
Take your time, learn the basics; then you'll know what you have to do regarding your Bitcoin on Coinbase - but don't take too long...there's a saying in the Bitcoin community, "not your keys, not your Bitcoin." You may not know what that means now...but you will eventually 😉
With all due respect Dr. Berry, but if you haven't bothered to learn what makes Bitcoin special, then you're 'missing' the whole picture.
To quote Saifedean Ammous: "ethereum is the mother asshole from which shitcoins spring from."
To each his own. Personally, I'll stick to the hardest asset that's ever existed - Bitcoin!
According to Jesus, there are only two roads to choose from, and one of those roads leads to death - Matthew 7:13