Understanding Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and the Future of the Internet: 5 of the Best Explanations from Technology Futurists |

If you've been hearing about cryptocurrency and blockchain seemingly everywhere lately, you may have begun to get curious as to what these things are all about. While cryptocurrencies are usually the big headline grabbers, where BitCoin billionaires pop up seemingly overnight, this article intends to address an understanding of the true value cryptocurrencies. This "true" value from cryptocurrencies comes from the underlying DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) which creates them, commonly referred to as blockchain. Today I share with you my own personal research used to validate an understanding of cryptocurrency and blockchain tech, in case you are one of the curious who may find this information useful.

BitCoin and other cryptocurrencies get the attention in most circles, usually from those looking to make a quick buck by cashing in on the speculation on price increases. But digging deeper into understanding the underlying technology shines a light on something much, much bigger. Blockchain tech is here in a big way, and it has started changing the world. Banking and finance, media, supply chain, and certainly governments are paying very close attention to this disruptive technology.

But enough of my personal ramblings. Let's have a look at 5 key talks from technology and business futurists in this space that explain these things in very effective ways. In no particular order, find some key thought leaders in this space and videos of their extremely informative talks below.

1) How the blockchain is changing money and business

Blockchain Research Institute co-founder Don Tapscott just plain gets it. He really understands blockchain technology and its world-changing capabilities. In this talk he eloquently covers not only what blockchain and cryptocurrencies actually are, but how blockchain tech will impact commerce in many ways. Highlighting trust, security, prosperity, and other qualities that blockchain delivers, Don provides us with a fantastic overview of this technology.

2) How the blockchain will radically transform the economy

Bettina Warburg explains blockchain technology by covering the fundamentals of trade and trust, where decentralization improves the way we exchange value. Economics are transformed when uncertainty is lowered and transparency is gained, and we learn how blockchain delivers these improvements in her talk.

3) Blockchain: Massively Simplified

Providing an "oversimplification" of blockchain technology by breaking it down to a single simple concept, Richie Etwaru highlights Trust. Understanding that this technology removes the need to manufacture trust by verifying transactions across all nodes in the network is a key part of his explanation. Just don't hold his slim shady impression against him.

4) The next Internet Revolution

Juan Benet is changing the world, and telling us all about it with IPFS. While IPFS is a protocol and not a blockchain technology itself, it is a game changer nonetheless. I mention Juan and IPFS here because it works with blockchain tech very well, and is an enabling technology to blockchain applications like Steemit (where this very article was originally posted) and Dtube. It is a technology that is not just decentralized but creates a new distributed internet to fix problems with the current state of the web. As a bonus, you can dive deep into IPFS from Juan's 2015 Stanford University talk here.

5) Decentralizing Everything with Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin

Last but certainly not least we have another world changer, boy wonder Vitalik Buterin. At age 19 he created Ethereum, which is a blockchain technology that enables smart contracts to execute, making it far more than just a cryptocurrency. Ethereum is a platform for development, making it a vehicle for really bringing value to the technology landscape in new ways. If you really want a challenge keeping up with this genius, you can see how much of his talk on Ethereum 2.0 you can comprehend, and not just because he flexes his fluent Mandarin.

If you've read this far and still remain unconvincinced that these technologies are the next big world altering changes, I'd love to hear your take on it. I'd love to hear your feedback regardless, as I am still very much learning in this space and am always seeking feedback and enjoy the dialog. To that end, please feel free to comment below, or follow me here or on any of the social networks that I have linked from my about.me page.