I have heard and read the belief that we will not achieve mass adoption of Bitcoin by disseminating technical knowledge quite frequently throughout my experience within this ecosystem.
Although I agree that the methods of some popularizers are not the most suitable for teaching beginners, the complexity of bitcoin is noticed as soon as we meet it for the first time.
This is because it is a paradigm shift in many aspects, not only monetary and economic, but also in social and technological terms. Bitcoin is simply different from anything previously known, although it is mostly made up of pre-existing technologies and concepts.
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Bitcoin is not only a self-regulating system, but also has consensus mechanisms agreed upon by its users. Therefore, it is important that users know the tool they are using.
In addition, it is somewhat contradictory that Bitcoin, being an information technology applied to the monetary field, does not have a community that defends the right to access information, which is in danger today: social media platforms censor different opinions, mass media work closely with corporations and governments, and hordes of people cancel others for not thinking the same.
I think of the legacy of scientific popularizers such as Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Jacques Cousteau, David Attenborough and many more, who with their own methodologies and areas of expertise, they managed to educate millions of people without fear of being themselves.
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That is why, below, I want to list some reasons not to abandon the technical aspects of Bitcoin education and information.
It allows us to be critical of Bitcoin and also protect it
If we do not master or understand how Bitcoin works, we will be unable to know if the developers are doing their job well, or even if Bitcoin is working as it should. I don’t mean to go to the extreme of learning to read code, although that would certainly be ideal. I am referring to keeping abreast of proposed updates and changes implemented in the software.
What do these changes mean? How certain developments could improve Bitcoin? Is it necessary or urgent to implement these changes? Why do developers argue with each other? Are necessary questions and crucial that we must do ourselves and do openly also in the community.
I frequently talk to Bitcoin developers to understand the topics they are discussing, the updates they are promoting, and the details of their work. Many times I have disagreed with them.
Although my work is journalistic and I have no knowledge of programming and software development, I am 1 message away from establishing communication with the developers, processing the information and presenting it to our readers in CriptoNoticias day after day. you can too.
It stimulates curiosity and surprises us with more knowledge
In this way, with the habit of studying and constant communication with people with more experience than me, I keep fueling my own curiosity and surprising myself every day with what I learned.
Did you know that there will not really be exactly 21 million bitcoins (BTC)? Did you know that you can write messages on the Bitcoin blockchain? Did you know that, in the beginning, you could mine bitcoins from your laptop or notebook? Did you know that there are some empty blocks of bitcoins? These are some of the curiosities of Bitcoin.
Finding out why Bitcoin is the way it is is exciting. A journey down the rabbit hole that seems to never end.
Help create more developers and workers in Bitcoin
Thus, disseminating technical knowledge about Bitcoin can inspire others to become developers. Also, inspire them to work in services that use this technology, or create more and better companies in the industry.
Education has the mission of inspire, empower, train, drive to the people in his path. Many have found their work and life purpose in Bitcoin, seeing the potential of this technology, and putting their imagination and inventiveness in favor of creating solutions around it.
On the other hand, more developers needed for bitcoin core, the most used implementation of Bitcoin and from which several important figures have resigned, brilliant minds that are difficult to replace.
But developers are also needed who can create other Bitcoin software implementations that, without breaking consensus and compatibility, can bring other functionalities to the table and extend the decentralization of the protocol in this regard.
Protects us from being scammed, deceived or manipulated
Learning about Bitcoin protects us from being scammed, deceived or manipulated. When you know how Bitcoin works, nobody can come to offer you a better technology without very well justifying their reasons for believing that it is so.
Many people have not learned the basic fundamentals of Bitcoin and seeing that the learning path can be long, they become disillusioned. That’s when cryptocurrency promoters strike like predators looking to feed on your money. Your work is generate false expectations of profit and declare the supremacy of products that have not really been put to the test as Bitcoin has done at a technological level.
As they renege on their promises, they keep changing the narrative to stay afloat and continue to raise money from both financial groups and minority investors, as is happening right now with Web3.
In general, the attitude seems to be that there is no need to study or question the technology you use, that you blindly trust these platforms without verifying what is really happening. This gives them the space they need to make decisions outside of the decentralization ethic they claim to uphold.
Disseminating knowledge is an act of social responsibility
Due to the risks and dangers that exist in the jungle of cryptocurrencies, it is that disseminating the technical knowledge of Bitcoin becomes, for a journalist like me, and for all educators in the ecosystem, an act of social responsibility.
It is true, Bitcoin does not have gatekeepers, or guards stationed at the entrance door. However, I think it is necessary to warn people of the risks involved in investing, or in matters such as using the Lightning network safely (if you run a node); or in the methods to safeguard your bitcoins without losing access to your wallet.
For example, we can also debunk the myths surrounding Bitcoin mining by explaining how it really works, and why there are many energy alternatives that have been making it sustainable and much less polluting than its critics claim.
In relation to Bitcoin mining, we can also explain why the Proof of Work algorithm (Proof of Work The PoW) eliminates the need to protect the money of nations through weapons and war, and decentralizes this obligation through free competition between miners working on the Bitcoin network no matter who they are or what country they are in.
It is also an act of social responsibility to make known the freest and most efficient monetary network in the world to people who do not know it, and who could well take advantage of it to achieve financial freedom in many aspects. Educating about Bitcoin is almost a humanitarian and altruistic task.
If you want to learn more about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, don’t hesitate to visit Criptopedia, the educational section of CriptoNoticias.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to its author and do not necessarily reflect those of CriptoNoticias.
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