It is difficult for me to have a conversation about bitcoin with those who are close to me. For the most part, my friends and family simply don’t understand it. While some have heard the term, that’s really the extent of their knowledge.
At a Christmas party last year with some of my family members, I tried explaining what it is that I’m writing about. Naturally, when your family hasn’t seen you in a while, they’re bound to ask you something like, “So what are you doing now?” to which my response was, “I write a lot about bitcoin.” Some of them could only ask, “What’s bitcoin?” and stand there dumbfounded as I tried my best to explain the concepts of digital currency and the blockchain to their wandering minds.
There were a few however, that upon hearing the word “bitcoin” actually became somewhat angry and red in the face. They actually had severe mistrust of the currency, and said that anything that new couldn’t be trusted, to which I immediately thought, “What kind of thing is that to say?” Bear in mind, my family is one to always rush out and get the latest iPhone when it hits stores, or purchase the newest technology gadgets, so to hear something like that coming from them really shocked me.
I later grew to understand that they simply didn’t “get it.” There’s the common misconception that bitcoin is constantly tied to dark, black market deals, or that it’s easily stolen and it’s basically a haven for illegal activity. This is the problem with most of the bitcoin coverage we witness today. It’s not that bitcoin is bad. It’s that sometimes the people who use it are bad, and my, has that put a stain on the digital universe’s reputation.
But don’t allow your prejudices and judgments to get the best of you. Research bitcoin when you can, and witness the wonders it can do for you and for the unbanked populations of the world. Don’t allow ill-researched coverage to thwart your thoughts. The good intentions behind bitcoin are there, and it’s just a matter of time before everyone knows it.