Network states can’t have a police force, because that’s a prerogative of physical sovereignty. So, their power must come from something other than physical violence (or the threat thereof). Traditionally, that alternate source of power has been cultural hegemony: the hijacking of beliefs, norms, values, and mores for the benefit of the rulers, at the expense of diversity and freedom of thought. An onchain purity pledge is just a manifestation of that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony