Bitcoin will be bigger than Paypal.
A growing trend over the last year has been the complete de-platforming of certain companies and personalities across the Internet. One entity in particular that has been targeted by payment processors, hosting services, social media companies and other types of gatekeepers vigorously over the last year is Gab.com; the much-maligned social media company that is derided for housing "hate speech". As a result of their digital marooning from some of the world's largest tech companies - particularly, payment processors - Gab has turned to Bitcoin out of NECESSITY to facilitate payments on their platform.
Ebay got big because Paypal made online payments easy. The barrier to entry at the time was tremendous. Consumers did not easily trust their credit/debit/banking information online. That barrier is now broken. Hard to imagine a life without online payments now.
— Gab.com (@getongab) December 15, 2018
Bitcoin is the clear solution. Gab has an incredible opportunity to educate and introduce close to a million people (and growing) to free speech money: bitcoin. We aren’t doing it because it’s hip or cool or the latest technology fad. We are doing it out of necessity.
— Gab.com (@getongab) December 15, 2018
Whether you freaks like it or not, this is when Bitcoin shines. When a last resort is in need that can provide the sunned with the utility they need to conduct commerce Bitcoin is just there, chugging away producing blocks roughly every ten minutes. Anyone is free to download wallet software, custody their own private keys, and begin buying/trading/working for Bitcoin. Entering a network completely separate from any single nation-state or entity. Completely bereft to the laws or social norms of the outside world.
What is going to be very interesting to see play out is how people begin to react when entities or personalities that have a bit of distance from either political extreme begin turning to Bitcoin preemptively and out of principle. Will Bitcoin begin to become more palatable to the masses? We may not know the answer to that question right now, but it seems as if there is a swelling tide of popular YouTube personalities beginning to turn to Bitcoin as their users are abandoning revenue producing platforms like Patreon, which have decided to deplatform popular personalities with subjectively unpalatable content. One of those personalities is Dave Rubin, host of the incredible interview series The Rubin Report, who created a Bitcoin wallet a little over a week ago in reaction to losing 120 Patrons from the boycott.
I’ve lost about 120 Patrons already. Everyone apologizing to me but drawing their line in the sand. I have no problem when people stand up for what they believe.
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) December 9, 2018
Other ways to support at https://t.co/eF5D3GOSCW
Will have an update about all of this on Monday... https://t.co/BPd0rVpGh8
A journey to avoid 3rd parties begins...
As more and more of the super successful self-sufficient content creators discover Bitcoin, begin learning more about it, and begin talking more and more about it, and therefore educating their massive audiences about it; we could see an explosion in genuine interest around Bitcoin incited by something other than price. It will be very interesting to see if this comes to fruition.
Whether or not this day(pipe)dream comes to fruition, the fact remains; Bitcoin is there for these creators whether they know it or not. Whether they choose to utilize it or not. Whether they like it or not. I believe that more and more people will come to realize the beauty in this as they begin to use Bitcoin and as the message begins to proliferate. Something to pay attention to going forward for you freaks.
Final thought...
There was never a more liberating feeling than pushing a lifeguard stand chest deep into the ocean at 2am and jumping off of it. Probably pretty dangerous too.
