Base network active addresses surged 50% on Oct. 22, but transaction volume declined 8.7% and dollar-denominated fees dropped 20%, according to growthepie data, revealing a divergence between address count and actual usage. The spike in new wallets is attributed to a GMGN contest that requires participants to create fresh addresses, inflating the metric without corresponding demand for blockspace or fee revenue. Active addresses are not unique users, meaning one individual can generate multiple wallet entries.