If they invest for long term then nothing was lost, 1BTC is still 1BTC and it will always be. Investing in something about which you have no idea what is it and how is work is really a big nonsense. Mass adoption has not even started and you say it is failed just because price is pump to 20k $ and then we have big correction? I do not mind if they hate BTC today, they will hate themselves one day because they sold and not hold.
Only way to cryptocurrency goes ahead is regulation, we can not have wild west in financial system - no government would let it go like that. But that will not kill BTC, just look example of Japan or Germany. In that countries regulations makes things clear for all, big investors, miners or just ordinary people have full freedom when it comes to crypto.
I hope that you words will became a truth in future.
Anyway in my opinion mass adoption of bitcoin as technology was started some years ago and people are not really using it instead of those who are afraid of government control, get tax benefits etc.
BUT it have a big success as new stock asset because of big volatility. E.g. you can earn some k$ in just a few hours and you don't need to invest millions. Therefore hundreds of thousands newbie and experienced investors have putted funds in it. The mass really enjoyed bitcoin as instrument to became fucking rich in a short time. But there are also billionaire investors in it (big fishes) who controlling most of bitcoin related media and keeping thousands of bitcoins. They collapsed price just in a few days by opening sell order on
BTCBTCBTC amounts. And I don't know how the mass will react on it. I hear a lot of people who telling "I will never play with it again"... So therefore I am so pessimist about future of bitcoin AS stock asset...
I play on long term card with
BTC, and I also hope that my thoughts will be correct, but I also have in mind that all this can be wrong. Always think that something can really work, but also that it can completely collapse. Problem of most ordinary small investors is that they look for quick profit or maybe short time frame (1-5 years), but big investors are more focus on long term (5-15 years), so they thinking is completely different.
For example take just OP and his title, he is focus on June and price in next few months-mostly unimportant for big investors who just hold and do not pay much attention is the price 7000$ or maybe 7500 today. Whales are problem for sure, but with time there will be less and less chances for them to manipulate markets.