Manipulation is always present, cause certain people and groups can do it. Crypto market is young market and like every young market is vulnerable to big players and their games. There's nothing wrong in that, everyone wish to be rich and everyone would do it, but not everyone is in position to do that.
The longer the process is, more volatility we will have, there will be larger pumps and dumps, but gradually prices are rising, with each pump and dump we are setting up new bottoms.