Exponential Laziness And The Path Towards Crypto Adaption
I remember trying to teach friends how to use email in combination with their social media account. When myspace came around this task alone resembled rocket science to most. Setting up the account, profile tweaks, notifications, privacy, heck even taking commando-angled pictures for appearing pretty. All these concepts looked new and scary to most people. Internet technologies were not so popular at the time. We were all struggling to have an angle in the game and we were all a bit lost.
A similar process replays once again, when I try to teach about cryptocurrencies. Getting through the basics is rather overwhelming since I still have plenty to learn myself. From my part, it feels like I am trying to teach a 2-year-old how to use the potty while I am still spraying piss all over the toilet seat.
Bored
I believe a big part of the problem in the crypto learning process is laziness. Specifically, laziness that is produced from automation technologies. People are slowly getting used to having things served in their plate — knowing very little about the inner workings of the gadgets that dictate their lives.
I remember growing in an environment where I had to know how everything worked, how it was build and how it should be maintained. Today, due to the nature or economic activities, we use, abuse and throw away almost everything. We are not bothered about how something works or how to fix it. Ironically enough, this is how we end up using people as well.
"Out To Get Me"
I don't fancy conspiracies about people being controlled purposely. I think most of these theories are post-hoc observations that stem from specific human characteristics. For example, we talk about vengeful and loving Gods because we all share those characteristics. We also want to become immortal because we can envision our own death. Put those two together and you get a human being reflecting on his wildest dream — a transhumanist singularity
We create societies that progress on technology and automation because we suck at pretty much surviving in nature without our tools. What we see around us today, is nothing but the outcome of our wildest dreams — a jerk reaction to our physiological shortcomings.
Comparing with what we have today around us, cryptocurrencies seem to have landed from the far future. Trying to teach someone about pass phrases and keys becomes even harder when we consider that all these revolve around security and identity.
Most people already feel vulnerable without even getting their feet wet. They are used to big colorful buttons automating everything for them. Most have no idea about how the software works or what basic hardware it requires. The worst? They don't care about learning.
Enter Government
Most anarchists, libertarians and voluntarists — aka the people who backed up cryptocurrencies since the beginning — are still very wary themselves about the security and privacy factor. Already, most people don't even bother questioning economic practices, politicians or even helping their fellow man. The governments which we have created, do all these effort free even if we whore ourselves to them. They are the historical middle man. The original gadget". The new crowd entering cryptocurrencies would most likely demand the same amount of comfort (if not more).
Humans as they evolved figured out that if they specialize at something they become more efficient. A guy who made only spears and another guy who made only cloth would mathematically produce more and at great economic benefit. In contrast, someone who tried to do both will be less efficient and economically fucked. Economies are scale are based on this very mechanism.
The only difference is that we have specialized so much that we are on the verge of giving out our own self. This is how the big groups like corporations and governments end up "controlling" people. It is rather an after effect of human laziness that stems from efficiency economics.
The Satoshi Irrelevance
Nobody knows who the creator of Bitcoin is and I don't think we will ever know. I don't think it matters at this point.Instead, what we all should come to realize is that everybody, eventually, is moving towards blockchain technologies and cryptographic economies. Whether this is for the good or bad is irrelevant.
People, and especially younger generations, are even lazier than we are. Most won't bother to get into this spectrum unless some kind of automation takes all the technical stuff away. The point for them is efficiency.
The inevitable easy way get the general public into the crypto-sphere seems to be biometric technologies. I believe this will bring cryptocurrency adaptation but it will also turn people into even lazier automatons. Remember, once in the blockchain, always in the blockchain. Humans would sacrifice security for comfort any time of the day and it seems that we would have to ride this wave whether we like it or not.
hmmm.
I am not sure that crypto is in any way easier. I feel it's a lot of work to learn the basics and a lot of work to not forget keys, phrases bla bla. I am not sure how this ties with your initial point on laziness...
lol @ "the original gadget" :))
I didn't say it is easier. I said it is equally hard.
finally someone got it!
it was hilarious :D did you come up with it?
of course . I am a creative motherfucker remember?
LOL
Yep, the pain of teaching computer illiterate people how to use a remote control...
Biometric technology isn't going to help.
At best, thieves will just hold a gun to your head while your thumb / eye is scanned.
At worst, govern-cements will use it to track you down and incarcerate you for those parking tickets.
Or, even worse biometrics is sold as 100% guaranteed, when the truth is everyone has a double somewhere. People are getting falsely accused all the time by facial recognition software.
Even worser-est is that govern-cement is the number one issuer of false ids. They have back doors in every system they create. That thing that you carry with you which is dear to your life, without which you would find it impossible to do business with anyone... to them is as important as a zerox copy.
And ulitmate-worser-est is that the biometrics have to be stored somewhere so that they can be matched to. If this database is under govern-cement control... well, accidents happen all the time. Databases get corrupted. Ever hear of someone losing their social security benefits because they are dead? And the SS office tell them that is basically their problem, too bad.
You need to seriously netflix this one :D
Check the anime psychopass
I have seen such a drastic change in technology in my lifetime, it's crazy. It is very true that people will give up security for comfort, and that everyone is getting lazy with the increase of automation. It's actually pretty scary.
Idiocracy level scary, but also fun. The thought makes me crack myself sometimes.
do you feel that crypto is for the lazy? I find that is not true...
Not at all, not regarding crypto. I was more referring to other aspects. I am very much into crypto and I don't consider myself lazy.
The other aspects are true for the lazy. You can now re-order on amazon with the push of a button!! and other stuff that ARE easy to integrate in your life..they are designed as such because they want you yo give up on your privacy for convenience.
With crypto....not sure how it applies. Crypto to me, today, it's defo not for the lazy!
I was just wondering how it all ties in for the post....
I guess I can't agree that people are largely lazy. We just have so much imagination, we can think of a lot of different things to do with the time we have! We have to make choices, and those will be based on personal combinations of talents and resources. Some will choose carving precious stones into intricate shapes, others will choose highly mathematical descriptions of 3-dimensional structures. If the two of them start sharing knowledge, they may make something really cool neither of them could have alone... and with neither of them truly understanding the nitty-gritty details of how the other's area of expertise operates!
Rather than laziness, think of it as the inevitable void between two worlds of expertise! They are experts in things you know nothing about, and vice-versa. Maybe there's no way to bridge the gap, but how will you ever know if you don't approach the other with respect?
Laziness is not a "bad" word. We might like to delve into our passion like some kind of craft but even with that, we try to be efficient and "cut corners" so we can be more efficient.
laziness hides in the details.
I guess I'm not sure what you mean by laziness, then. Maybe Laziness with a capital "L" is showing complete disinterest in everything that does not immediately and obviously produce value to the Lazy person, while laziness with a lower-case "l" is just the initial deer-in-the-headlights frozen response to a wide variety of possible details to which one might pay attention. That kind of lazy can certainly last a while! I tried to do all kinds of fun (to me) analyses of hashing methods before I ever gave it up. Once I realized it was a deeper swamp than I cared to get into, I decided to let those experts do their work while I come here and have fun with the ever-increasing world of steem-y ideas! I never really did look into exactly how the altcoin ledgers actually work... although I may get around to it, eventually. Or if possible, I'll take the "lazy" way out and ask someone who really understands it already to explain it while I sit with a dumb but fascinated expression on my face!
This is not what I had expected from your title. I'm quite impressed with how you managed to include psychology and all those factors into a post about cryptocurrency. Well done!
thank you. glad you liked it
Great post! Absolutely... so called "literacy" with todays devices is another form of dumbing down and laziness. People use their phone that spoon feeds, even forces them updates, and they think it makes them tech savvy.
Personally I want to know what is going on under the hood, and devices that actively block that (and even manipulate me to install updates,) piss me off.
If something like Cryptocurrencies are going to remain useful and not under someones thumb there has to be a critical mass of people who care to know what is going on under the hood.
IMHO, the best ease of use aims to lower the barrier for entry without obscuring the details which is a tough thing to get right.
For that we need education and mass adaptation of basic infrastructures. Right now most people don't even know how to operate their phone from the settings section.
Great post @kyriacos. I agree with trying to get people into the crypto space is hard. I have been trying to get people into investing and saving money for a very long time. What I have found out is, the same people who are listening, the same people who desire to learn, the same people who try and connect, are the same people who are concerned with saving and investing are the same people who are willing to learn about crypto. As you say, and I agree, most are lazy and will not even care to know what blockchain is, when it is a part of their everyday lives. We must accept that while this technology may make some lazier it will also empower others. I am excited for this future that blockchain will bring, and we must seek out those who are willing to listen and empower them. Great post!
I guess we have to wait until technology chews the food inside our mouths
Oh that sounds nice. My jaw gets really tired sometimes when I am on my third box of Oreo's!
watch "Idiocracy". Same conditions apply :D
I feel like we are living "Idiocracy" now. It's terrifying some days just leaving my house.
I'd like to think of other people's laziness as an opportunity for me.
The trick is not falling into the trap myself.
I don't want to go live in the wilderness and make tools of stone. But I'm also amazed?, disgusted?, how about befuddled? by the society I see around me.
Lazy and Entitled to Be Lazy.
There's not really anyone I can directly ask, "What the fuck are you people thinking?"
But I ask it in my head every day.
:)
Yeah, the Technology is far too advanced to be adopted by the masses. But it will spread like the internet did and things will get easier. I was born 1991, I could observer how technology took over the world. But yeah it just has started, soon we will merge with techonolgy, crazy time to be alive. Who knows maybe in 50 years I will upload ma Brain into a Cloud haha
I would rather let it disperse in oblivion.
Ugh, this actually reminds me of being asked by my mother in 1994, after telling her to "Right-click on that", hearing back "What's a right-click?" I'm afraid I didn't hide my aggravation too well, being about 9, and I got quite a rant back about how I should never become a teacher (ironically, going on to teach pre-law students later!)
True story, almost as bad as the endless search for the fabled "Any" key.
Everything changes and everything remains the same. I have my share amount of similar experiences, reliving them with the crypto revolution.