On the ride together

In my last post that asked if people would take 55,000 STEEM or 1 BTC, there was a mixed split of results, with some taking the Bitcoin as it is low risk and will likely be around, others taking the STEEM because of the upside potential or for many, the ability to use it for community activity.

It is interesting to think that in the 10 short years Bitcoin has been around riding a blockchain as the first cryptocurrency, those in the market see it as the safe option. This is a fantastic sign for the future of the entire marketplace considering that pretty much everyone has to become convinced similarly, and then extend it out past only one currency and into the market of plenty.

In my opinion, people are smart to take the Bitcoin as it likely does offer the highest potential of getting a return, even though it might not be the highest of returns over those 5 years. But one of the things that personally turns me away from Bitcoin is that it is a solo endeavor, it is about maximizing the individual with no consideration of anyone else in the network.

The other thing is that it is boring. Yes... BORING. Where is the fun of Bitcoin when it is sitting away in cold storage? Well, it is in what can be bought with it, and that requires the selling of it. Nothing wrong with selling currency for good of course, but remember that the more that it is used, the higher the demand, so selling it means that one might never get it back at that price again. That is a bit of a challenge, especially if one doesn't hold a lot of Bitcoin.

This increasing value is of course present whenever demand increases on a scarce resource, and it will happen with STEEM as well, if demand increases. Yet being able to use it to not only earn, but have fun with it has value beyond the earning capabilities, that is just icing on the cake.

In my opinion, the Bitcoin game is a solo one that looks to maximize value of the individual through speculation. The STEEM game is a community one that requires interaction that can be performed across a whole range of activities, from what we do daily with posting and voting, to gaming and application building. This makes Steem more fun. I know, a lot of people don't have any fun on Steem at all, especially those who only get enjoyment out of financial gain, but the activity of Steem is fun if you find your place.

Steem is like an amusement park with a range of rides that are evolving and having a widening selection to play with. Yeah, there aren't many people entering the park at the moment, but it is kind of like having VIP entrance for those who are here, no lines.

While I don't know which between Bitcoin or the 55,000 STEEM will have more value 5 years from now, I do think that the one that will provide the better ride is the Steem roller coaster. Not just because of all of the applications and potential earnings, it is mostly because of the people of Steem and all of the interaction that provides a social catastrophe - as well as a lot of community brilliance. Yeah, there is a lot of drama at times and that creates a massie amount of FUD, but overall it is a great deal more interesting than sitting there staring at a screen of charts - alone.

It is because Steem is interesting that I have a lot of hope for it in the future, as while Bitcoin offers currency speculation, the Steem blockchain provides emotional interaction and development - sometimes devolvement. When something is interesting it is more likely to hold audience attention and the economic potential only holds it for so long as we can see over the last two years.

Just think, how many people are still interacting in the Bitconnect community? I am guessing they aren't over there chatting and getting to know about each others lives. While people discount social interaction and community these days, in a world that is increasingly disconnecting, a tokenized environment that encourages socialization could become one of the most valuable meeting points on our digital earth.

Rides are more fun together. Especially the scary ones.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]