The world operates at the speed of light. Change is the only constant. We are seeing progress happen at a pace never seen before.
Computers are able to process data at an incredible pace. We are producing amounts of data that was unimaginable just a decade ago. Competition shows up from unexpected areas. Today, a kid with a laptop in a foreign land is as big a threat as the business across the street.
The term "disruption" is being part of common conversation.
In short, companies that were deemed "untouchable" (or too big to fail) can be wiped out in under a decade.
The faster things go, the more a platform like Steem benefits. There is a built in advantage that the likes of Steem have over what is presently in place.
What separates this from all else is decentralization.
I know, many seem to feel that the masses will not embrace decentralization. The centralized entities have a built in advantage that cannot be overcome. Part of this is the speed which their networks operate.
This is all true, at least for now. We will see what the future holds although I expect that decentralized networks will close the speed gap.
That said, there is one area that a centralized network cannot keep up with it's decentralized brothers. The speed of change is something that is going to leave the establishment behind.
Here is a little test for you. Consider the idea of an entity like Facebook having 15K software developers. These people are hacking away at code all day long. The amount that they are able to produce is significant.
Now contrast that with Steem with the same number of developers. If Steem had 15K people banging away at code all day long, it would not even be close. The amount of innovation here compared to what a Facebook could spit out would be laughable.
Even with all their money and influence, Facebook could not keep up. Their corporate structure basically forbids it.
On Steem, whatever is created can be hung on here. There are no committees or rules to follow. Anyone with an idea and the ability to code can create a Steem based application.
This is something I feel most people underestimate. An entity like Steem can move forward in a rapid fashion because it is going in 1,000 directions simultaneously. People keep looking to streamline the focus on here and, while that will net some results, I think the anarchic nature of decentralization nets greater results. That does not mean that individuals or groups getting together to work on specific ideas is ineffective.
Understanding this is what gives me confidence going forward in dealing with the existing power structure. In short, my view is they cannot compete.
This will be a process that takes years to come to fruition. I do not believe this is going to be an overnight process. Nevertheless, we will see a lot of companies over the next 5 years get caught completely off guard. This is how disruptive technologies operate. They are nothing until one day, surprise!!! Everyone is caught with their pants down.
We saw this a number of years ago in the retail industry with Amazon. The effect was so powerful that people call it getting "Amazoned".
There will be a lot more of this in the future. I have a feeling a lot of it will come from decentralized platforms. Steem is one of them that is positioned nicely.
2019 is going to be a lot of fun.
If you found this article informative, please give an upvote and resteem.
