There are (and always will be) people who see no good in the Internet. I played a small part in its growth in the early 90s and even I have pangs of regret over what it has become. AND there was a lot of grift and lawlessness in the early Internet -- that is what paid the bills at first.
However, at the time I was able to articulate all the ways moving X, Y and Z to the Internet would make things better -- for hours on end -- and I would 'win' those arguments. OTOH, all my crypto crazed associates have trouble doing that same thing today. For years, the argument ended up being "I got in early and now my 'investment' is worth X amount." It has been an end justifies the means proposition.
In the end, the Internet was judged by its exponential growth and adoption. There was a mad rush of, arguably, useful activity going on... for years. Everything I wished for and pushed for back in the day has come true -- monkey paw curse and all. Bitcoin's use has actually gone down afaict, the market value of it is the only metric people care about.
> However, at the time I was able to articulate all the ways moving X, Y and Z to the Internet would make things better -- for hours on end -- and I would 'win' those arguments. OTOH, all my crypto crazed associates have trouble doing that same thing today.
I find that most crypto-crazed enthusiasts don't have the foggiest idea about how it works, beyond some broad vague ideas. People who can articulate its benefits exist, but they tend to get drowned out. Many of them are building companies instead of bothering to prosthelytize or argue on forums.
> In the end, the Internet was judged by its exponential growth and adoption. There was a mad rush of, arguably, useful activity going on... for years. Everything I wished for and pushed for back in the day has come true -- monkey paw curse and all. Bitcoin's use has actually gone down afaict, the market value of it is the only metric people care about.
Very very well put. Bitcoin’s use as measured by total transactions has gone down. However, the total amount of cryptocurrency transactions across all chains is still growing exponentially.
Rationally, I understand what you're saying, speaking as someone who was intrigued by Bitcoin in 2012 and possibly made a little money off it while I was interested in it.
Humanistically, I gotta say, perceptions matter. I left crypto because it just started "tasting gross", regardless of the technological interest I had. Clearly, I wasn't in a minority with that.
I hear you, but these excellent YouTube recommendations and Google App stories tuned so precisely to my interests wouldn't even be remotely as good unless I permitted myself to be data-surveilled. I can't tell you how much I've learned via these (whether informational or entertaining). (Note: I pay for YouTube, because it is an excellent service.)
There are (and always will be) people who see no good in the Internet. I played a small part in its growth in the early 90s and even I have pangs of regret over what it has become. AND there was a lot of grift and lawlessness in the early Internet -- that is what paid the bills at first.
However, at the time I was able to articulate all the ways moving X, Y and Z to the Internet would make things better -- for hours on end -- and I would 'win' those arguments. OTOH, all my crypto crazed associates have trouble doing that same thing today. For years, the argument ended up being "I got in early and now my 'investment' is worth X amount." It has been an end justifies the means proposition.
In the end, the Internet was judged by its exponential growth and adoption. There was a mad rush of, arguably, useful activity going on... for years. Everything I wished for and pushed for back in the day has come true -- monkey paw curse and all. Bitcoin's use has actually gone down afaict, the market value of it is the only metric people care about.