Bitcoin is already a social movement. Or, maybe not? \ stacker news ~bitcoin

Bitcoin is already a social movement. Or, maybe not?

953 sats \ 24 comments \ @IamSINGLE 17 Jun bitcoin_beginners

Before two days, I posted about the philosophy of Bitcoin with a purpose to learn about Bitcoin’s Philosophical properties with a view of its ability to socially transform our world for good. I want to quote the quote I mentioned in that post before asking what made me come back about the same thing.

At its core, Bitcoin is nothing but code..... Yet, outside of its technical features, Bitcoin can also be viewed as a social movement It has become both a staging ground for debate around the cultural role of money and a disruptive technology intended to intervene on our existing power structures and monetary system.

As you can see the quote above clearly indicates that Bitcoin is by default a social moment. It also mentions some of the reasons why we should stick to this philosophy. So far so good, I've no objections to Bitcoin being the social movement and its objective of establishing a New and free world.

However, my understanding about social movements is different or maybe my knowledge on the subject is not enough and not ready to reconcile.

Let me first brief you what I think a social movement must look like. For me a social movement must have a well structured organisation with rules, authority and a clear line of communication, which help in stabilizing or sustaining it for a long time.

Bitcoin being a decentralized system, does not have a proper social movement organisation (or, do we?), lacking rules and a line of communication among Bitcoiners or with general public. Source

What I've read about previous social movements, I can affirm that they all had some kind of affinity to an organisation that would set rules and engage with everyone including regulators with a clear line of communication. However I accept that in the case of Bitcoin, I can't be so sure about it. Think me as a curious kid who wants to diffuse his tension and de-escalate conflict!

So, I urge all of you to please shed light on the following:

Do you believe that Bitcoin is a social movement?
Does Bitcoin have a proper organisation to set rules and line of communication?
If both of the above are ''yes", can you say that Bitcoin’s social movement is moving in the right direction?

...

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80 sats \ 1 reply \ @grayruby 17 Jun

UFC fighters are quoting Mises in post fight interviews because of Bitcoin. I think there definitely is a social movement towards sound money and awaking people to the corrupt nature of fiat and it is spurred on by Bitcoin.

50 sats \ 0 replies \ @IamSINGLE OP 17 Jun

Thanks! They are a little help imo. A few people talking about bitcoin here and there won't form a social movement as big as it forces down governments to accept Bitcoin and Bitcoiners.

What I asked is actually how to progressi towards our goal in a faster and much organised way? Do we need a properly organised social movement much similar to movements like 'Civil Rights'. This was led by MLK Jr. Everyone knows it but a few people know that CORE as a leader organisation paved the way for the success of this movement. Take a look at this picture:

I'm calling for a full scale organised movement in favour of establishing Bitcoin as standard money.

49 sats \ 4 replies \ @frostdragon 17 Jun

Bitcoin itself is not a social movement any more than the printing press. It's a freedom of information technology that can be used to turn society upside down simply by opting in.

21 sats \ 3 replies \ @IamSINGLE OP 17 Jun

So, you mean that by opting in we can succeed. Look around mate! They are snatching the decentralised dream of money with ETFs. If only we had an organised and well structured revolt against them, we might have saved Bitcoin going into the hands of corporate government agents.

21 sats \ 2 replies \ @frostdragon 17 Jun

How are ETFs snatching decentralization away? They're not preventing self custody, and they're backed by real bitcoin. Bitcoin ETFs are a temporary phenomenon that will help exposure, and then eventually die.

21 sats \ 1 reply \ @IamSINGLE OP 17 Jun

How are ETFs snatching decentralization away?

I think it because they are buying Bitcoins and giving people the same assurance as do fiat notes. People who buy ETFs won't ever own a single Satoshi.

Bitcoin ETFs are a temporary phenomenon that will help exposure, and then eventually die.

How can you be so sure about it?

Suppose, these corporates manage to buy a considerable amount of Bitcoins (say 50% to 60%) and then government jumps in and make all these Bitcoins obsolete and take them in its control and say to innocent people that they will be compensated with so and so money (fiat that they will print and distribute).

11 sats \ 0 replies \ @frostdragon 17 Jun

"People who buy ETFs won't ever own a single satoshi"

Eh, maybe that will be the case for some people, but I would say ETFs are giving people exposure by allowing them to "buy" bitcoin without having to learn a bunch of nerdy shit about it, BUT - those people are going to learn about what they're investing in, and a percentage of those people (some of which are whales) will become bitcoin owners.

"How can you be so sure about that?"

I mean, that's what bitcoinization over time is. There are still so many people who simply have no idea what self custody is, and once that changes, people will see how pointless ETFs are.

Also, fwiw, the government doesn't need ETFs to buy bitcoin, they could just print money to accomplish that at any moment... As to the government/corporations owning 50-60% of all bitcoin... Look at this: https://river.com/learn/who-owns-the-most-bitcoin/#:~:text=Not%20including%20Satoshi%2C%20three%20bitcoin,own%20more%20than%20564%2C902%20bitcoin.

31 sats \ 2 replies \ @0xbitcoiner 17 Jun

Do you believe that Bitcoin is a social movement?

Bitcoin it's also a cultural movement that defies traditional norms. Unlike conventional movements, Bitcoin's decentralized nature has shaped its unique trajectory. This cultural movement is both disruptive and paradigm-shifting.

Does Bitcoin have a proper organisation to set rules and line of communication? Are you asking about Bitcoin Core and its developers?

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @IamSINGLE OP 17 Jun

Are you asking about Bitcoin Core and its developers? I'm asking for a more philanthropic organisation that can peacefully revolt against the vices of fiat, if needed on the roads as well.

11 sats \ 0 replies \ @0xbitcoiner 17 Jun

I'm not sure, but I'm doing my part!

32 sats \ 1 reply \ @freetx 17 Jun

Do you believe that Bitcoin is a social movement?

Not intentionally a social movement, but because it is money it must be a social movement. Money, by definition, is the most social good.

Does Bitcoin have a proper organisation to set rules and line of communication?

Not sure about "proper organization", but it has a stakeholder community composed of following:

Developers
Industry (miners)
Users / Investors

Those 3 groups act as a natural checks-and-balance, not totally unlike "branches of government" theory.

One of the reasons why the "ossification" argument is on everyones mind (and also slightly pointless) is that everyone innately realizes building consensus for change among those 3 disparate groups is going to be very difficult.

Developers can release code, but not force everyone to run it. They need miners + users to buy-in.

If both of the above are ''yes", can you say that Bitcoin’s social movement is moving in the right direction?

I agree with the implied premise. I don't think genuine social movements have top down control. Those are not "movements", those are organizations with dictates/orders.

Any genuine social movement will be highly dynamic in nature. Real revolutions don't come from an edict, but come because thousands of different participants have a thousand different grievances.

Bitcoin happened to tap into many different sub-cultures. It strangely melds many "anti-corporate" and "equity" talking points of left, with hard economics and decentralized power talking points of right.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @IamSINGLE OP 18 Jun

Thanks! This is the best answer so far.

11 sats \ 0 replies \ @SatsMate 18 Jun

Hmm - I don't see Bitcoin as a social movement, but I can see how might see it that way. It is just a neutral technology not social, not antisocial - it just is. Like is a coding language a social movement? It isn't - rather it is adopted as a way for people to interact with computers.

I think there is no formality or rules with communication, and that is part of the beauty of it. Anything top-down can be corrupted or co-opted - and that isn't Bitcoin.

If you look back at any "proper organization" they tend to have a board, an executive, and leaders. Thankfully bitcoin has no leaders and no formal rules regarding communication.

The BIP process is pretty formal, but it isn't communication - rather configuration recommendations to improve the protocol.

11 sats \ 5 replies \ @Coinosphere 17 Jun

I'm pretty sure we have as much or more of a social movement as those Linux nerds ever had...

What is the #1 operating system globally right now?

0 sats \ 4 replies \ @IamSINGLE OP 17 Jun

That's what I thought about before asking about a well structured organisation for Bitcoin.

They say Linux will be everywhere (they always forget to mention when?), but I don't find it anywhere in my close vicinity.

Without a well structured organisation, I don't think we had ever changed the world.

11 sats \ 1 reply \ @Coinosphere 18 Jun

What in the world are you talking about?

Linux went everywhere years ago! Every phone. Every server. Every router. Every web-enabled appliance. Every device in your life with an operating system except a few Windows or Mac PCs is running linux today. It's a vast, vast, vast supermajority of the OSs that run on this planet.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @IamSINGLE OP 18 Jun

Thanks for telling. I didn't know that. .. Let me search for verification of your comment..

11 sats \ 1 reply \ @atitlanio 18 Jun

Make the move and install it

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @IamSINGLE OP 18 Jun

Sure, I will make the move and let everyone know. It's just that I'm not sound technically. But I'll find a way out..

11 sats \ 2 replies \ @riberet19 17 Jun

In the genesis block, Satoshi Nakamoto included a message that read "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks"

This clearly tells us one of the objectives of Bitcoin and that is to end the rotten fiat system and the banking cartel, it is a social movement of financial sovereignty through free-for-all and uncensored code.

16 sats \ 1 reply \ @IamSINGLE OP 17 Jun

The objectives are very clear from the beginning. But here I'm talking about what we must do to achieve these high goals. Do we have an organised attempt?

11 sats \ 0 replies \ @riberet19 17 Jun

To progress I think we must promote P2P exchanges again as in the first years, in order to also promote the acceptance of Bitcoin in local businesses, that is where the real change is.