Cryptocurrency is Much more than the Internet

The internet revolutionized the world. It provided a platform that would change the way we communicate, shop, bank, and interact with everything around us. It fueled economic growth with companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook and many more. The internet has developed so quickly and become such a large part of our lives, that it is hysterical to look back at its origins when talk show host didn’t even know what the symbol “@” stood for. Cryptocurrencies, seem to mimic the same path the internet took so long ago.

The purchase of two pizzas with 10,000 bitcoins made headlines across the globe as the first purchase conducted with the internet currency bitcoin. The similarities between the two led to the comparison of cryptocurrency’s crash with that of the Dot-Com bubble in the early 2000s. Yet, what many fail to understand, is that although these two technologies have brought about significant changes, comparing the two would be the same as comparing an apple to an orange.

Centralized technology vs decentralized technology

The development of the internet is attributed to scientist funded by the US Department of Defense. Meaning, it was understood and could be controlled by a centralized force. Cryptocurrencies were developed to shake up a centralized system entirely. Upon its introduction world governments didn’t know how to interact with cryptocurrencies. Only within the past few years have regulations been put in place to get some kind of hold of it. Cryptocurrency and blockchain are so new, that instead of being embraced like the internet was, countries like China intend to ban its trade altogether. While the internet changed society, cryptocurrencies are meant to enhance society. It is a whole new category of technology, comparing cryptocurrency to the internet undersells the technology’s eventual impact.

An equal technology

The internet has been most utilized by global corporations. The internet has provided a centralized platform for corporations to increase revenue. Its functions were recognized almost immediately, leading to the powerful corporations we see today. Cryptocurrencies and blockchain are only now finding uses. Blockchain is predicted to change business entirely by revolutionizing supply chain management, banking, and trading. The internet did the same, but blockchain and cryptocurrencies have the ability to go beyond what the internet did by providing a equal playing field through decentralization.

Distributed innovation

When you think of internet advancement or technological advancement in general, one place comes to mind, Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is the place to be when it comes to technology. All growth seems to stem from a single place. Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, on the other hand, is scattered all across the globe. Advancement comes in the form of tax incentives, innovative regulations, and exchange freedoms. ICOs are founded throughout the world each one bringing something new to the table. The bad ones have been weeded out through the market’s plunge as did the bad business ideas funded by the potential uses of the internet. Just like Google, which survived the early tech crash in the 2000s, so will the ICOs which have signified an important use. And just like Google, these companies, whether they be a bitcoin business or otherwise will go on to change cryptocurrencies so dramatically that they’ll go beyond what Google has become.

The long haul

Cryptocurrency markets are extremely volatile, no one is denying that, but consider how far they have come. Bitcoin rose to extreme heights in 2017 and 2018, only to come crashing down. Consider those who bought bitcoin when its value was below a dollar, who held onto the digital asset during its rise and sequential fall. As bitcoin is hovering around the $3,600 mark, these people still have made a significant amount of profit, yet they still refuse to sell, why? These are the people who don’t compare the internet and cryptocurrency, who understand the potential of the technology once adopted further. Cryptocurrency wasn’t developed with profit in mind, it was developed for financial freedom. The comparison of cryptocurrencies to the internet is no longer valid. They are two completely different technologies operating with substantially different rules.

Where do we go from here?

As cryptocurrency use spreads and blockchain continues to be adopted, there is no telling where the technology will lead us as a society. The internet’s uses could be predicted at a fairly young age, yet cryptocurrencies are still being researched by governments throughout the globe. It is still too early to predict where cryptocurrencies will take us, but it is bound to be an interesting ride, even more so than it already has been. Hang on to your wallet, keep your cryptos safe, and have faith in the markets. While the internet revolutionized the world, cryptocurrencies once completely understood will do much more.

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