Preparing For The Masses
What if there were no borders?
In some ways, a borderless society has already come to pass.
On STEEM, and on other blockchains, value is being exchanged from one end of the earth to the other, across national boundaries, despite the regulations of various intervening governing bodies, free from the taxes, inflation and debts associated with all their fiat currencies.
What if there were no countries. Not an overarching one world order, but no major structures at all? Instead of everything centralizing into one massive whole, the opposite—an utter deconstruction of every instance of concentrated governance into nothing more than individual sovereignty and whatever communities, tribes, or entities these individuals might choose to create?
In my mind, that's already happening to, at least on STEEM. It might not be quite as entrenched or as firm feeling as the power of a federal government is now, but for all intents and purposes, the building blocks for something more than a social media platform, an investment vehicle or even a blockchain already exist.
It might seem absurd to think like this, especially given what goes on around STEEM everyday (it's a bit like herding cats), but here's the thing:
Someone keeps talking about onboarding the masses to STEEM. The overhauls under the hood over this past year in particular have been done with the eventuality of there being millions of active STEEM users. However, the catalyst for bringing on the masses, other than some potential from SMTs and the shifting to Communities, doesn't seem to exist yet. Not in its entirety.
To my way of thinking, the likelihood of millions simply gravitating to crypto, any form of it, is going to take more than social media, or online gaming. It's going to take quite a bit of ease, intuitiveness and the ability to use crypto for every day things, from apples to zippers.
But how do we get there?
Some would say that the sheer awesomeness of technology, and the blinding speed at which it happens, will overwhelm all resistance from the status quo, and that hundreds if not thousands of years of doing things will be swallowed up in this mighty technological wave.
More likely, though, it's going to be a lot more painful than the above scenario suggests. People, governing bodies and financial institutions aren't just going to gravitate to crypto because it's cool. They may end up there because they have no other place to go.
Meaning, the financial meltdowns that federal governments and lesser governing bodies have been staving off for decades will finally hit with such velocity and intensity that everything fiat will be wiped out. Inflation and debt will just utterly consume them and no amount of tax hikes will be able to keep the existing authorities in power.
The people will rise up, and they will no longer be able to look to a government for help. They will have to find a way to do it on their own, or by forming alliances with other individuals, groups, or organizations.
STEEM could be one of those places. The ability to transact is already in place. So is the ability to communicate. There is governance, as loose as it may be. We've been able to rally around a common cause at times, especially when it's come to the needs of some users.
The thought of there being no centralized regulatory body telling us what to do, then how and when to do it, might seem a little far off if not farfetched, but in reality, aren't we impart interested in STEEM and other cryptos because the current system—banking, government, culture—is lacking in true stability, substance or equity? Are we not wondering how long things can keep going as they are before it all comes crashing down upon us?
I hope most of us are awake to such an eventuality. I don't know how it's going to happen, or when. I just know that it has to do. Something has got to give, and since it's least likely that a majority of nations will all of sudden turn around and become fiscally responsible with the people's money, the scenario I describe is actually the better bet.
It would be nice if the masses would just come to crypto because it's cool. I mean, people have adopted smartphones and social media on their own. Why can't they just make a similar leap into a modern way of transacting without third parties?
Well, the powers that be might not actually mind their citizens being consumed and distracted by phone and social media usage, because it keeps us ignorant or numb to what these powers are doing. Of course, if people are just doing it on their own, all the better.
However, leaving fiat behind for crypto isn't quite like adopting smartphones or joining Facebook. Crypto takes away money and power. Those are two things that can't go lightly. That's why countries have been moving to come up with some kind of regulatory stance, and throwing things into confusion and throwing up obstacles for entry until they can come up with more.
The more I think about it, the more I believe that STEEM will become much more than it is now. It will become lifesaving to many.
The question is, are we, the existing users, ready for such a thing? The underlying technology might be, but how are we going to handle the masses? Are we going to be able to provide the needed guidance and direction? Or if not that, a means by which people can figure out what's going on and what might be the best possible way to proceed and succeed?
I think there's been some of that happening with the STEEM token tribes. I think there's more potential for it taking place within Communities. SMTs will probably have something to do with it. Since financial collapse may be close or another decade or more away, other tools may be in place by then.
In the meantime, we need to figure out how to get along with one another. We need to take ownership of our own little corner of STEEM, and make it more welcoming, understandable, and helpful. We don't need to wait for code changes to do that. Many have already been trying to help others here and doing so for the better part of 3.5 years.
It will probably require all hands on deck, finding ways to accommodate the masses beyond the blogging or social media aspects of STEEM. Fostering goodwill and providing a crypto home for the former fiat only will mean more than just tips on what to curate and how to upvote.
Are we ready? What will it take to become ready? Are we willing to do those things?
I hope so. STEEM could easily become the home and refuge for millions. We need to start thinking about it in such terms, and not wait for the masses to be here before we do.
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An enjoyable read Glen. The undercover shill is there, but it's subtle :)
What won't be subtle is the arrival of millions of accounts - perhaps a poor comparision but a bit like refugees arriving en mass at a particular safe haven.
As you mention, the forthcoming communities should help filter people out to their appropriate position, and I think if the tribes/communities are doing the majority of the on-boarding, this may work out better still.
Not long before the holidays now, I suspect we could both do with a little break :)
Hey, @abh12345.
I came close to using the term refugee a couple of times, but thought I'd avoid any sensitivity to its use instead, but in reality that's what I think of in a worldwide financial collapse. There won't be first world countries taking in some other nation's people. It will just be human beings in need of help at that point.
I wasn't particularly going for a shill, undercover or otherwise, but that's okay. Mostly, the motivation is to get people thinking beyond just the social media and blogging to where this all could be going in a short order, ready or not.
The shilling, then, might be in getting our own house in order. :)
I'm kind of hoping to have some peace and quiet over Christmas, and not have anything much to do. My wife is working a good part of Christmas Day, so I won't really have any obligations there.
I also thought twice about using ‘refugee’, but I think we are being a little over sensitive.
People in need of help, it is nice to think we could of use in some way.
It sounds like you could enjoy a relaxing break, Id like the same if only to escape these rather brutal early starts - I’m already on the bus for work and the clock has not struck 7am as yet.
Hey, @abh12345.
That's pretty early. Hope it's all worth it. :)
I've done ten hour shifts from 6 AM to 4:30 PM before, and rather enjoyed them. I only worked Monday through Thursday, so long weekends every week, and then when a holiday fell on a Monday, a four day weekend. :) I got a lot of things done in the morning before the doors actually opened, and I got home before the major traffic rush.
I think I could enjoy a break in life rushing by me at 90 mph. Not sure if Christmas off is going to give me that, or not. I'd like to spend more time on STEEM, so I can get my comments and voting back up.
However, the holidays aren't exactly the best times to find people posting (how dare they have lives!). So anyway...
re: refugee
Yeah, probably. Personally, I have no problem with the use because what causes one to become a refugee can be all sorts of things—war and political upheaval chief among them. However, there is an actual legal definition that needs to be met when we're talking gaining some kind of refugee status, and that's probably where I would be more of as stickler myself, rather than whether or not someone is going to feel bad that I used the term. :)
Wouldn't this be an amazing thing?
To be honest I really don't know a lot about communities and have to spend some time educating myself over the next couple weeks when not at my job. I don't want to comment too much here for that reason except to say that getting along with each other would be a great start, as you say.
Hey, @galenkp.
We could all probably stand to play around in the beta before it launches. I'm not trying to say those will be the end all of everything, certainly, because just like any kind of technology or organization, it's only as good as what people decide to make of it.
However, if we get to a point, because all of a sudden the masses are here, where we need to, or people want to be, funneled into spots where they can find likeminded people, Communities could be the way that happens. It would seem to be a natural thing. We already do it to a degree with tags and the token tribes, so having it be the main tool (like the Steemit front end is now), would seem to help facilitate people finding each other.
After that, though, what we all do with the new influx is going to be up to us, and a little bit of civility and decorum, in my humble opinion, will go along way.
Two words almost lost in society these days and yet here we are being all civil and decorous. 😜
It seems to come easy for some, and not so easy for others.
Free speech has basically been disassembled to its most basic and basest of parts, to mean you can say anything you want to say anyway you want to say it.
Great, but there is such a thing as making friends and influencing people, and it seldom, if ever happens while you're boarding up doors and burning down bridges behind you. :)
You make a good point. Speaking ones' mind isn't always the best way forward. I read a thing somewhere recently that said something like, wisdom is knowing much, but saying little. A good thing to remember I think.
I already know quite a few people who have really improved their situation because of steem and even fed themselves for months on it. I haven’t used mine for anything yet. I’m trying to save as much crypto as I can right now while I live extremely modestly.
The world will improve dramatically when we learn to trust each other more and crypto is going to free up a lot of people’s hands so they have the abundance to learn to trust each other. It will likely be lots of ups and downs and pushes and pulls and lots of the same bullshit but the overall trend for humanity is so positive
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Hey, @whatamidoing.
I can only hope that what you say about the overall trend for humanity being positive is true. I tend to see the opposite happening, but in the end, however it happens, it will require people coming together to help one another, rather than climbing over each other for the crumbs that remain.
I think there are places and people around the world that have benefitted quite a bit from their membership and associations on STEEM. That's what helps me to say what I did, simply because that's one of the real world experiments we have going on.
If crypto becomes the refuge for all those with nowhere to go after the fiat fallout, then STEEM is a great place for them to arrive and try to get their lives back in order.
I keep wondering what could bring people to Steem. There may be some tipping point where other platforms just piss off their users too much, but that may not be imminent. Of course there are 'radical' people who get their accounts demonetised or blocked, but they tend to be outside the mainstream. I think we may get some 'influencer' (I don't really like the term) or someone else with a large following deciding to take a chance on Steem. If they could persuade a few thousand followers to come with them it could shake things up. If it works out for them then others will notice.
The technology is too abstract to be the sole attraction, but the potential to earn ought to be a winner. Despite that we are not seeing mass adoption.
I hope communities could help things, but we really need some marketing. I struggle to find any mention of Steem out there.
Here's hoping 2020 will be better.
Hey, @steevc.
Yeah. At some point, we do need to get on the offensive and start correcting some of the negative baggage that has become associated with STEEM (and some of it rightfully so). I think there's been a lot of cleaning house lately (directly and indirectly), so progress is being made to tighten the ship and wash away the messes.
That said, there's still plenty to do, and maybe Communities and SMTs will help bridge that gap. But people will need to know about them, and as you say, that means marketing.
Or something like it. Word of mouth has always been the best way, and so those of us who use STEEM (or more of us, since quite a few have been talking to family and friends), need to step up. I admit to sitting on the sidelines simply because I haven't seen where STEEM was going. I'm not totally sure anyone is at the helm (or is meant to be), which kind of means STEEM meanders.
Again, with Communities and SMTs, maybe we have something to market.
Whatever the pitch is, though, it has to be simple, and speak to what people need. It has to help them somehow.
Getting paid for posting brought in some people, but those folks have been disappointed with the results and have since left. So, it needs to be more than that, or something else, and somehow, we need to be able to live up to whatever the marketing ends up being.
I think this is where fast free transactions will come into play on a network that can handle a large amount of transactions. Why sell something on ebay or amazon that charges fees when you can sell something on a decentralized network for free.
As the middleman costs are reduced and eliminated and people are free to do transactions how they feel fit is when blockchain will begin to take over. Also, as you stated, it has to be a way that is just as easy as using anything else and lower the bar for newcomers.
Hey, @gniksivart.
I agree with everything you just said.
If we were dealing in dollars or an assortment of fiat currencies, we'd probably have a lot of people and business here already. There's just no reason not to be when it's fast and free with no middlemen. It would be crazy to use some other kind of service. However, we're not dealing in fiat, and crypto is still the redheaded stepchild for most of the world, associated more with terrorists and drug smuggling than the common folk. That's sad, because it is much more for the common folk than it is for such illicit use.
So, there's a misinformation campaign about crypto in general and a stigma attached to STEEM in particular that both need to be overcome. How do we do that?
Word a mouth and simple, honest testimonials, in a join, concerted effort, blasted out in as many ways as possible may be the way to go, but it ain't flashy and it ain't fast. But in the long run, it might be the most effective.
If it takes a decade for all of the financial enterprises to finally succumb to the mess they created, I will be shocked.
With the feds printing money at an alarming rate, I would expect to see things starting to unravel long before the 10 year mark.
When this comes to pass, you will see people banning together that share a common cause.
As is with most things, all of us need to be pushed into changing, a certain comfort zone accompanies familiarity, and therefore most will continue to behave as they have in the past.
Great read @glenalbrethsen
Hey, @thebigsweed.
You know, I've thought the same thing since the quantitative easing began over a decade ago, and even before that, with all kinds of strange and illogical economic moves the Fed has made over the course of my lifetime.
And yet, here we are, with an impossibly high stock market while the general economy has picked up a little from the Obama years and wages are still behind the cost of living (even though they keep trying to hide inflation).
So, when it's going to happen is anyone's guess, but unless there's just some agreement we don't know about where every nation will just be allowed to run deficits and debt ad infinitum, without it somehow turning into another world war, so that the elite of each successive generation can pass the dirty little secret on to the next while living out their lives in ease and luxury, it's got to all come tumbling down sooner than later.
Even if there is such a pact, it's got to blow up at some point. Countries are already tired of the dollar being the reserve currency. If that status goes away anymore than is already happening, we will be so toast that all will be left is the image of the burn.
And we'll take the rest of the world with us.
And people will have to come together. There will be no other alternative, because the rioting and the looting and the killing will only go so far before there won't be anyone to riot, loot or kill.
This possible scenario is scary @glenalbrethsen
There has to be a point when the ultra rich open their eyes and also realize what the heck is going on.
Their is a song by Dave Mason, You Can't Take it with You When You Go, some people need to realize that and figure out how their hoards of money could be applied to helping others in need.
We're already seeing this. Many our Steemians in Venezuela are using their Seem to live due to their economy being in the sad state it's in. I am sure there are others but I know from friends of mine that are from Venezuela they have stated as much.
It's a slow process. Look at how long Reddit has been at it. Granted they aren't crypto based, but the premise of the platform is still the same. 'Get paid' to post and upvote. While being decentralized has it's advantages it has it's disadvantages like everything. Not having the 'strict' rules though we are seeing people in general 'behave'
I know this sounds crazy, but I do see some sort of Star Trek type of society evolving. Ultimately due to the fact of our views of the world and universe changing. We still live very localized, but as we see here on Steemit we truly are global citizens.
Hey, @tryskele.
I think that's what helped me say what I said, knowing that in some places, with some folks, STEEM is already helping to save lives. That's a cool and sobering thought. Now put it on the level of an entire continent, or the entire world, and it becomes truly immense and spectacular.
And I agree, it is a slow process. Or at least, the preparation for truly being able to bring on the masses is a slow process. The catalyst, whatever that might be, could also take time, or it could be virtually instantaneous. If the meltdown begins and the smartmoney dives into crypto, along with anyone else fortunate to go with it, things change overnight.
Be able to essentially do whatever the work you love to do without worrying about whether or not it will provide for your needs, a society that doesn't run on economics, but on the enrichment and betterment of society, would be an amazing achievement. I've never read Star Trek literature, but in the extensive watching of the television shows and the movies, I don't remember it ever being described just how we get from here to there.
Another World War and the remains of society picking up the pieces, creating a functioning warp drive that draws the attention of the Vulcans. And that's about it. :) My guess is, there's a little more to it than that, and it kind of glosses over the pain and suffering in the meantime.
Excellent analysis of our future with Steem and the next global financial crisis. Receive my affections @glenalbrethsen.
Hey, @felixgarciap.
I wish I knew how this was all going to shake out for crypto. I think there's just as good a chance that things go sideways for crypto too. It's going to take some fortitude on the part of witnesses, I think, and maybe even Steemit Inc., to keep things up and running when things go down (depending on how fast and whether any preparations have been made against it). There may be a period of time where there's no power, access to internet, etc. I'm hoping someone's been thinking about that, and just expecting the awesomeness of blockchain to save the day.
The future possibilities of Steem boggle my mind! Great post, Glen!
Hey, @melinda010100.
Sorry. Been under the weather in addition to the holidays rolling on despite my cold. :)
Very true. I think there's about as many uses for STEEM as people can dream up. They just need to be unleashed. Not sure what it's going to take to do that—we're kind of in the chicken or the egg stage when it comes to building something so the masses will come, or having the masses so the really cool builders will come.
Something's got to happen, though.
You are right! No matter what happens it will be fun to watch!