How to Explain Bitcoin and Blockchain to Newbies

When you mention Bitcoin or blockchain to someone unfamiliar with Cryptocurrencies, the image below might be their reaction.

So what's the best way to explain the technology to people?

Do you try to explain to them that Bitcoin is a currency, and has a decentralized ledger that everyone agrees on?

Do you try and explain Ethereum Smart contracts, and the many uses of the blockchain besides just being a currency on the internet?

I've read countless explanations that attempt to explain cryptocurrency, Blockchain, or decentralization to people new to the space, and I keep seeing the same mistake being made.

So what is the best way to explain the crypto space to newbies?

Simple. You don't. Why? Because understanding the technology is (and will continue to be) irrelevant for the vast majority of the population.

Let me Explain:
Imagine buying a new car. You sit down in the driver seat, put on your seat belt (hopefully), start the ignition, shift into drive (or first gear) and push down the gas peddle with your foot; the wheels spin and the car moves. You're a genius, you know how to drive a car.

But wait... doesn't a person need to know how the car functions under the hood? What about the engine, the transmission, the gears and pistons, the nuts and bolts... what about the thousands of mechanical operations that are taking place underneath the hood at any moment?

The truth is that blockchain, cryptocurrency, decentralization, anonymity, scaling, splitting, the markets, you name it are the parts of this technology that function underneath the hood of the proverbial vehicle. The thing is, that metaphorical vehicle has not been built yet, because right now the technology is being improved, optimized, rewritten and is in it's infancy. The vehicles that these crypto engines will power have yet to be fully fleshed out, and for some possibilities our technology has not even reached the level needed.

So in that sense, refrain from explaining the nuts and bolts of crypto and blockchain to people that won't understand. Those that will understand the mechanics of what is going on under the proverbial hood won't need you to explain it, because they will already be searching out the answers and will grasp the concepts. Those that won't or can't understand only need to know that future digital technologies will be designed, and they will need a decentralized blockchain powering them so these vehicles can work in a way that is both secure and efficient on a global scale.

These technologies are mostly unknown, at least in the details. Maybe once AI has reached a point of self awareness, blockchain will be used to control and/or track the AI's behavior, creating boundaries that cannot be breached without community consensus, or else face a kill switch. That's just one example where decentralized blockchain technology will find a home, and if you happen to own coins/tokens/shares of the right blockchain that wins a giant multi-billion dollar contract with some Cloud AI Robot Butler manufacturer, you will be quite wealthy.

Anyway, my intention is not to write a guide for explaining bitcoin and blockchain, but instead to help others consider that everyone having an understanding of blockchain technology will not be necessary for the technology to flourish. Just like using the internet doesn't require you to understand protocols, naming services, html, scripting, and many other parts of web browsing that work underneath the engine of your browser, blockchain technology will only require a small group of people to be engineers and/or mechanics of the system.

If you understand the fundamentals of blockchain, of how it functions, why it's useful, who can use it, how to use it, where to use it etc., you really shouldn't feel a need to explain it to everyone in a quest to help get blockchain adopted and growing. Instead, maybe explain to people that the future of the internet and connected technology will require new ways of doing things, ways that are secure and 100% verifiable, without the need for a slow and clumsy central authority to act as a middle man. And, as these new vehicles are developed, the engine under the hood will be the decentralized blockchain. This is an inevitable outcome, because no central authority can handle the amount of traffic that will exist in the future, without bogging things down and making things costly.

Just my two cents on the matter. Hope this helps someone.