Too Long; Didn't Read
Cryptocurrency seems to re-enter public discussion in tandem with fluctuations in exchange rate, but hopes of mass mainstream adoption continue to remain a hopeful vision for the future. Since most consumers are able to transact perfectly well in their local currency, the need for censorship-resistant alternative currency remains niche. Even so, Bitcoin has managed to garner international media attention and fanfare, with names like <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/elon-musk-calls-bitcoin-brilliant-better-than-paper-money-for-value-transfer" target="_blank">Elon Musk</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/billybambrough/2019/02/04/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-has-made-a-bold-prediction-about-bitcoin/#592a9640b1af" target="_blank">Jack Dorsey</a> endorsing the breakthrough financial technology, and even companies like <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/13/jp-morgan-is-rolling-out-the-first-us-bank-backed-cryptocurrency-to-transform-payments--.html" target="_blank">JP Morgan</a> and <a href="https://medium.com/@tedlivingston/facebook-isnt-going-after-bitcoin-it-s-going-after-the-dollar-a6bd1f68f058" target="_blank">Facebook</a> looking to take a piece of that international currency market for themselves. All of this has been achieved via the creation of an open payment network in which anyone with a computer can become a worker in exchange for a reward of new Bitcoin. This incentive of receiving a piece of the limited issuance of a currency as it continues to increase in adoption and demand has helped it to become a world-renowned digital asset. In spite of this powerful incentive mechanism, however, estimates still put the number of active Bitcoin wallets <a href="https://www.bitcoinmarketjournal.com/how-many-people-use-bitcoin/" target="_blank">under ten million</a>. That means that unless a developer is personally invested, philosophically invested, or both, there is little incentive to integrate the technology into their software today, as there is nothing for them to gain. But what if that concept of allowing people to join a network in exchange for a piece of a limited reward was turned on its head, and the incentive wasn’t being offered for people to verify transactions, but for actually integrating the technology, creating the experiences in which digital transactions are facilitated, and boosting adoption?