What will make the man in the gym care about blockchain?
As you know I go to the gym frequently.
Some of my old clients go there (I used to have an IT business) and yesterday one of them wanted to talk to me.
He was wondering how I was doing and if I still did something with computers.
Nowadays, I tell people that " I'm working with computers and that I focus on blockchain ".
The next thing they usually ask is, "what's that, blockchain?"
I then usually proceed and ask if they ever " heard of Bitcoin? "
And more often than not, that indeed does ring a bell with a lot of people.
When there is some interest in their eyes I try to explain the technique very simply.
Blockchain is the technique Bitcoin is based on and what it does is create a trust over long distances (the internet) without a third party.
When you send money from A to B with the EURO everything goes through your Bank (third party), blockchain eliminated that need and I can send currency anywhere in the world direct. But it doesn't stop with just currency, it also applies to many more aspects in our lives.
I always hope for some spark or another question.
But sadly also, in this case, all I heard was "Ow that's nice, but what is the longevity of a desktop computer, cause mine is getting really slow, do you think I'm ready for a new one?".
I guess even though I am very passionate about blockchain most people really couldn't care less.
What the client probably heard was:
Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla EURO bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla WORLD bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla LIVES.
While patiently waiting to get his own question in.
But these experiences do teach me a lot about the real sentiment regarding blockchain out there.
I don't think many people care. And why should they?
Because it will change their lives? Because it's the future? Because the world needs it?
I wish blockchain could speed up his slow computer, which would have probably sparked more interest.
In a way these times remind me of stories my dad tells me about computers in the early days.
My dad owned a computer in the 70s and loved programming (my dad is 69 now btw and still writes code).
At some point, he decided he should start selling Macintosh computers because everyone should have such a wonderful machine in their home.
He started a business with a partner ready for riches...
It took them over a year, to finally......sell 1.
Talking about being persistent.
Eventually, as history tells us, it did lead to computer mass adoption. They were just 20-30 years too early.
My dad and his partner did have a good business for years after they finally sold that one.
But eventually, my dad got out of the whole computer selling business when the margins went to low and started a software company, that still exists today.
It was a good move. Margins on computers/hardware are nonexistent nowadays, but margins on specific software are still good.
Blockchain, mass adoption and all that. I think it will happen eventually. I don't think anyone can precisely predict what that future will look like once it is here but I believe it will happen.
And I just love being actively part of it and see it unfold.
Computers have not changed that much over the decades. While I'm writing this I still look at a monitor. I still type on a keyboard and I still move a mouse around. Inside my computer are a processor and some memory and a disc to store my data on.
It's all a bit more modern but the basics are the same.
The software is not though. That has gotten much better and way more user-friendly eventually leading to almost every person and business on the planet needing a computer to do anything. Especially after the internet was introduced.
Will the same happen for blockchain? I think so. In a way, blockchain makes the internet more modern and better. For instance, you get the ownership of your data and money back.
That means something. But not without a use case.
Simply said, the man in the gym once bought a computer because he wanted to do something with it. There was a reason he invested in the machine. Maybe he wanted to do online banking, maybe he wanted to email with his grandchildren, maybe he just wanted to print some photos. Who knows? But he needed a computer to do it.
But I also know that the man in the gym couldn't care less that his money and data go through a third party and that it is centralized.
What will make him care about that? What will blockchain need to provide for him to care, to want to use it?
For the man in the gym, I can't think of any reason....yet.....
There is nobody in his life that wants to sent him a Bitcoin to pay for something....yet.....and his family is not using Steem to share their pictures on APPICS....yet......and he doesn't need to buy an ANGEL of LIGHT Splinterlandscard for his granddaughter...yet.....
Ownership of data and money is great, but I can't think of any use case why that matters for him today.
I hope one day I will but I also think that can easily be many more years before we are there.
We still have a long way to go.
And still, I wouldn't want to miss it for the world!
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