What is happening now is one of those times where great unrest is taking place. Those in power are expanding their tyrannical activities, suppressing the masses. Of course, they keep dividing people, pushing them to smaller groups.
To the observer, it might look like things are moving towards the powerful. The centralized entities throughout the world are simply getting bigger and stronger.
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We see a host of other characters enlisted in this battle. For their efforts, they are being richly rewarded. Social media companies (as well as traditional media) are doing their best to silence dissent. Anything that contradicts the ongoing narrative is eliminated.
It is a tactic which was used in the past. Hitler excelled at this. Of course, today one's account is simply shut down; Hitler took more permanent measures. Nevertheless, the result was the same; silence.
Our knowledge of what took place can lead us to the conclusion that things are bound to repeat themselves.
There is one difference: we are in the digital age.
An Alternative System
The centralized system operates in a way to maintain control. It is hierarchical in nature while using its top-down power to makes sure obedience is obtained. This is something that we lived with for the past few hundred years. As we assembled in cities, centralized power structures only grew.
Centralization worked well in the physical world. This is how the masses could be controlled by a few. People simply did not have a choice. They could physically be detained and held in a certain area. We are seeing more of this today.
The digitized world is not this way. Sure it might seem it with Facebook and Twitter. These entities, along with many others, created silos online. We basically operate behind their walled gardens. Nevertheless, it is not as easy to retain control as it is in the physical world.
There is a lot of talk of late about a "decentralized Twitter". Even Jack Dorsey himself is talking about creating a version of that. We also have mentioned that there are a few projects on Ethereum that are looking to replicate it as well as #ProjectBlank on Hive.
What we need to take away from this is that there will be viable options by the end of the year. While we cannot tell which one will be the "winner", any that reach market will likely have an impact. There are too many simply being displaced by the social media giants for these not to succeed.
In the physical world, it is hard to get choices. If one is "locked into" a country, little can be done. This is not the case in the digital world. When options appear, people can opt out.
Cryptocurrency The Game Changer
Much of this would be very shallow if it were not for cryptocurrency. This is what is really getting those in power shaking in their boots.
We are now seeing the monetization process moving online. No longer is money based in or upon the physical world. Instead, we have an innovation that was developed entirely in the digital. This gives it completely different properties which are a major threat to the existing system.
There are moves being made to control this beast. We knew this would happen and here we are. However, it is also clear their actions will fail.
For all the talk about globalization and the moves towards that over the last few decades, the reality is that the existing power structure is fragmented. It is still centralized entities spread throughout the world. Hence, their ability to enforce globally is diminished. Plus, we get certain viewpoints that cause conflict between differing parties.
The digital world does not have that problem. People are spread throughout the world seeking to decentralize power. Coders reside in most countries throughout the world, having the ability to spin up applications that can make a difference.
Outlaw it in one country, there are people in others willing to fill the void.
What is different this time is economic. Transactions have value and we have a way of capturing it. Cryptocurrency is starting to penetrate the psyche of hundreds of millions of people. This is not only changing industries such as banking but also gaming, social media, music, and film.
It is also going to change the powers of government.
Economies are forming that are completely outside their reach. A networked economy is not subject to the laws of a particular country. This is going to be a challenge when there are millions of them operating online.
People Are Tired Of Centralization
This is something that few think about since they do not phrase things in this way. However, there is little doubt people are done with tyranny. The behaviors of those in charge, especially of late, is quickly turning on them. We are seeing the masses starting to wake up. The hypocrisy and lies that are told will come back to haunt them. After all, in this era, there is always a camera or recorder on somewhere.
A challenge that is rapidly being overcome is the fact that people had no choice for so long. Now we are seeing decentralized options starting to crop up.
One of the areas we see this is with the Play2Earn movement. It looks like this will be enormous. One of the major shifts the last 30 years is the carving out of the middle class in many developed countries. This only served to enhance the power of those in charge. This movement is suddenly giving people an opportunity to earn no matter where they are.
What is promising is all of this is out of reach of the existing powers. They cannot touch most of these wallets. If something is truly decentralized, it does not have the single point of vulnerability. Bitcoin is the best example. The talk of shutting it down is now pretty much dead since it is evident it cannot be done.
The emergence of a decentralized world will first appear in the digital. It is far easier to transform in this realm as opposed to the physical. That said, we will see governments starting to realize this and solicit people. We are going to see competition to bring people in from other areas as a way of sustaining themselves.
Major transitions are set in motion long before we can usually see them. This is what we are seeing here. The unrest that is present now has a solution. It is being developed. Certainly it will take a few years before we are to the point where it looks viable but it is starting.
The foundation is being put into place right now.
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