Saying Bitcoin isn't real money is like saying email isn't real mail

"Email isn't real mail. It's not physical so it has no value!"

Have you ever heard someone say something so stupid like that? I don't. But when I talk with friends about Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies like Steem some say it can't be real money. Also many so called gold-bugs argue Bitcoin has no intrinsic value because it's not physical. How can something that is only digital be real money?

Each time someone tells me Bitcoin is not real money I pretend to agree with them and I tell them ironically that I don't believe email isn't real mail either. Email is only digital, it's not physical, so it can't have any value! Then they look at me with a questionable face knowing I said this sarcastically.

We all understand why email has value. The old-fashioned mail is slow and expensive and maybe even more important, we rely on other people to deliver our message correctly. The same is true with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Steem. It wasn't possible to send money over the internet without a middleman until 2009, when blockchain technology was invented. We could send money online before with online banking or services like Paypal, but we rely on the banks to make the transaction. When the crisis of 2008 hit people began to realise we can't always rely on banks in the future. We need an alternative payment system. We need to cut out the middleman. This is why Bitcoin is such a blessing! You no longer have to trust your money to a bank, but you can be your own bank. Using Bitcoin you can send and receive money peer to peer. No middleman, no banks!

So each time someone tells you Bitcoin isn't real money, tell them email isn't either. Hopefully they get the point.

image source: pixabay.com