At some point in the past I made a rather admirable attempt to stir my community into the realm of cryptocurrencies. I was ridiculed plenty of times but still chose to dedicate countless hours in bars and online forums explaining more or less how bitcoin works. Still, the vibe I was getting from most people was lingering between smug and pettiness.
Now, I have to admit. I am not your best guy for promotions. Reason being, I am mostly cold, objective and straightforward (or so I have been told). I also lack what most people call people skills. I mainly focus on the negatives, the things that can go wrong. I do so because in my understanding this is exactly the parameters upon which the cosmos operates. This is the reason entropy fucks most things up leaving a thin layer of precious cream on top. This is exactly why the vast majority of our DNA is junk and why 99,9% of all the species that ever existed on earth are now extinct. This is the very reason everything in the universe is made out of 99.99999999% empty space.
Bitcoin and in general the blockchain technologies are still on their infancy and there are way too fragile for someone to make solid assumptions. Even if some cryptos make it at the end, it won't be more than 1% of what we see today. This is also true for most companies in the FIAT world. No amount of positive thinking books and Tony Robbins attitude can get you out of this one. This is how the world works.
Nonetheless, even if I communicated accurately the technical features of cryptocurrencies, people responded emotionally, not technically. For example, they could identify that the banks summon money out of thin air by typing numbers on a computer or issuing magic papers, but still, the concept of crypto mining — something that takes actual work — was laughable to them. I was even trying to explain basic cryptography and they insisted that it could be easily get hacked. Meanwhile, no bank in my country offers 2FA and on their sites and most people use something along "pizzagod123" for password
I believe that people get attached to whatever system is in place because they are afraid of responsibility. The human brain doesn't like change and most people don't really want to be exposed to the risk. This is a trend we observe with everything around us — whether it is an expired relationship, fossilized religious beliefs, or damaging careers. The fear of change threatens our identity the most. This is exactly what most people are insecure of losing when it comes to the accepting cryptocurrencies.
A child demands a father figure. The state along with the banks offer exactly that. The blockchain more or less tells you to grow up, to be an individual, your own bank. Most people are terrified of the thought. They would rather follow the common recipe along the lines of school>college>job>family>retire>die. A new way of doing things could disrupt this ritual. This trend is mostly evident in the political system. Most people just want a quiet stable government job, not to become their own boss. They want a political leader to direct their lives so they can blame their shortcomings.
Cryptocurrencies introduce something revolutionary on a societal level — not so much technical. Many people are terrified of the possibilities, not the technology itself. If we were living in the middle ages we would be run over with pitchforks if we were to mention such novel ideas to the general public. The best way to ease this transition is for banks to get introduced into the concept. The Gods of FIAT have to be pleased for their followers to go along their blessing. This is what crypto-currencies like Ripple are doing.
After all, people have no idea how the economy works and don't want to know anything about it. Even here in Steemit same problem persists. Mention to someone Steem, Steem Power and Steem Dollars and you can see the tumor growing out of their nose. People get easily lost because everything around us today is spoon fed. It's just too much for the average user.
Even Steve Jobs said that the reason Apple succeeded was because it made computers for people who knew nothing about computers and never wanted to learn. This is how the world works folks and we have to roll with it. People like pressing large colorful buttons and using their brain as less as possible. They don't care nor they want to know what goes in the background.
At the end, what I believe is going to happen, is banks start issuing their own token while services like Bancor allow every individual to also issue their own cryptocurrency token. There is going to be a biometric ID to make things even easier and people will just exchange tokens much like they do today. What will go underneath the surface will be of little importance since it will be unnoticeable.
My advice for those who want to spread cryptocurrencies is to talk first about how banks are trying them out as more efficient alternatives. Mentioning large companies like Microsoft getting in bed with Ethereum also helps. People need to see that their current Gods accept the new paradigm and that it is ok if themselves roll with it. Attacking banks, mentioning anarchy, individuality, libertarianism and all the stuff that lead us first adopters into cryptos, will definitely scare most people off. What worked for us was self-discovery due to self-realization. What works for them is conformity. Never forget this.
Don't be afraid that this attitude will spoil the character of decentralization. Many of us are also emotional and have hard time accepting banks using cryptocurrencies. Keep your head on the horizon. The primary objective is wide adaptation. Once this happens, the ideas of liberty, individuality and property will find their way through.
