Like many of you no doubt have, I have tried to get a number of friends and acquaintances to come over and get started with Steemit.
Red rocks, Sedona, Arizona
Although I happen to think this place is awesome, it has been an interesting uphill battle to get anyone to budge from their comfort zones on Farcebook. Most people seem terribly skeptical of anything new.
One of the primary stumbling blocks-- once folks have gotten past the initial idea of social media that rewards people-- is the notion that aforesaid rewards are paid in Steem... our own "local" cryptocurrency. If the idea of a social site that actually rewards contributors is "strange" to people, the idea of such rewards not just being an automatic deposit to your bank account or PayPal account is outright ALIEN.
Crypto Currency? What's THAT? Monopoly money?
Thistle in bloom
People are skeptical, on several levels. Interestingly enough, the most skeptical also tend to be the best educated and most familiar with investments.
Ironically, surprisingly many people have actually heard of Bitcoin.
To complicate matters, I've recently even had a few people tell me "that investment banker guy says it's a fraud!" referring to J.P. Morgan's Jamie "The Douche" Dimon recently making negative comments about Bitcoin.
But the objections I've heard have made me pause and think, for a moment.
What IS a "Currrency?"
Northern sunset
Well, it's a pretty broad term... in its most specific sense, it implies "in current circulation," as in... something you use for barter or trade. If we use that definition, cryptocurrencies would sort of be out of the running, as it's pretty hard to go buy a bag of dog food, or a hammer with Steem.
In a more generous definition, a "currency" is simply a system of money, recognized as a "store of value," and in some degree "in general circulation." Under that definition we can paint with pretty broad strokes.
For example, when I was I kid we lived in Kenya for a while (late 1960's), and a number of local people used cowries (a type of seashell) as money.
The main requirement here seems to be that currency represents "a store of value" and that it is "current," meaning that it is in sufficient circulation that you can exchange or trade it for something.
But You Can't Buy a Cup of Coffee With it!
The primary objection I hear from "regular people in the street" when it comes to cryptocurrencies is that it's "difficult" to use... and you have to "exchange it for something else," as a result of which they determine that it's "not real money."
Butterfly in the sun
Sadly, when I point to the four new tires on my truck-- purchased with "not real money"-- it doesn't help as much as I would hope.
What helps a little more is when I ask if Jamaican dollars (for example) are "real money" and then follow up with a question of whether they will buy you a cup of coffee in Denver or Wichita, Kansas. And unless you're in a large tourist city in the US, it's unlikely you'll be able to change those Jamaican dollars into US dollars... so that also makes them "difficult," but there's no arguing that Jamaican dollars are "real money."
It's a lot of work to sell this gig! What's WRONG with people?
And so, the Case for a Steem Supported ECONOMY
Most critics of cryptocurrencies point to the exact issue that led to their creation, in the first place: These currencies are created out of thin air-- they are just numbers in a computer.
Center of a Gerber daisy
And they were created because printed money is also made out of thin air, created at will by governments.
Neither of which alters the fact that maybe utility is a good thing. Because if all we can do with cryptocurrencies is "invest" in them and trade them on exchanges... then are they really not more like "common stock" than a "currency?"
So this is where I put in my pitch that if we truly want Steemit (and the Steem token) to grow and thrive, maybe what we need is to build a greater economic system here-- a reason for the "currency" to exist... and be "current" as a medium of trade. If we actually have a thriving marketplace here, based on Steem (like our own personal eBay/Amazon clone) it would certainly go a long way towards silencing some of the critics who claim we don't even have a real currency.
And that would be a good thing!
So let's discuss! Are Bitcoins-- and cryptocurrencies, in general-- actually "currencies?" Or would it be more accurate to call them an "asset class," like common stock, or corporate bonds? Whereas there are a few things you can buy with Bitcoin, purchase options are pretty limited with most alt. coins. Does there need to be an "economic base" of commerce, in order for something to be a "currency?" Along those lines, would you like to see a broadbased peer-to-peer marketplace on Steemit? Not just a few people trading with each other, but something large scale like an eBay/Amazon type marketplace? If you could readily buy furniture, software, air travel and groceries with the Steem token, would it become more like a "currency?" Would that make it easier to get people to join Steemit? Leave a comment-- share your experiences and feedback-- be part of the conversation!
THIS POST... carries the tag #discussion and is part of 
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Published 20170922 18:19 PDT