Here we are in the Information Age. Thanks to technological advancements, human beings have sped up the communication processes between each other with the internet and computers. I was part of a generation that saw the internet become a centerpiece of the culture. I remember installing the 30-day free trial for AOL and calling to cancel on the last day, only to be offered 30 more days for free. Fast forward to today, and the internet now is a beast of a system with a plethora of information available for anyone with a connected device.
Currently, there is a shift taking place in regards to how we see money. We are understanding that fiat is only one means of agreeing on value. That is why cryptocurrency is now challenging the paper representation of value. As it is, digital currency has already been widely adopted with debit cards, online banking, and e-commerce. So we can safely say that we have agreed that digital numbers in an account represent dollar figures.
I want to invite you to take a much deeper look to realize that energy and attention are the real currency. To guide you a bit through the rabbit hole: we give and receive energy every second. We power up a system of reality. The act of me typing this and sharing it with you is a way of transmitting an energetic force to whoever decides to receive it through an idea. At the same time, I am helping to power up the Steemit platform; this means that Steemit, like any other platform or concept, is being activated as more people use it and engage with it.
Think about how traditionally the masses have given their energy and attention to concepts like religion, the public school system, entertainment, and even a widely promoted concept of love. All of these are ways of harnessing a collective energy. The question is who benefits?
Put simply, human beings are information vessels. We communicate not only with words, but also with body language, frequency vibration, and through subconsciously engrained influences that manifest from a culture or from one's own interpretation of past events. When a given group becomes subject to a concept, they help to power it up and give it life. The way humans perceive these kinds of "realities" are through illusions. The need to define and technically understand creates these illusions.
Ideas are given value by those who apply to the terms and conditions of those concepts. Attention or participation within a concept, therefore, creates a value system, a currency within that "reality". When individuals are able to see past the illusions that are set before them, they have the opportunity to weed through the noise. Those who don't learn to identify and overcome illusions are bound to be ruled by them.
These last couple of years, I've found a very unique group of people through sites like Youtube, and that has made me realize something. We are filters. Humans are filters of information. To find a unique mind is to find a unique filter. This leads me to the conclusion that people are the new currency.