WHY DIDN'T I HEAR ABOUT STEEMIT SOONER!

Background

So I am a University Student studying Computer Science and Mathematics(I have only been programming for a little more than a year now). I am currently on my winter break and the only thing I have done all break is read articles and papers about Ethereum and other decentralized systems and watch videos by Vitalik Buterin and Andreas Antonopoulos. Both are impressively knowledgeable about not only the technical hurdles but also the social and economic issues cryptocurrencies face in the coming years.

First Hearing about Bitcoin

I heard about Bitcoin first around 2012 and looked at it solely as an investment opportunity and a means for people to use sites like AlphaBay and the SilkRoad. I bought a small amount and forgot about it for a while. I failed to dig any deeper into the topic and didn't understand how many implications systems on the block-chain could have.

Light Bulb Moment

It did not begin to occur to me what this new technology of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies could do until the summer of 2017. I was teaching myself as much about programming as I could and ran into a few talks on YouTube about the Ethereum Network. I instantly saw how many possible applications this would have as a means of giving fair and equal access to people all over the world. I was for the first time looking at block-chain technologies as a means to improve the global situation instead of an investment opportunity.

Decetralized Future

I am hopeful that people all across the globe will adopt decentralized systems in the coming several years. However, I am aware that there is going to have to be a large shift in power and transparency. This is what the people who started the modern day cypherpunk, crypto movement wanted to accomplish back in the 80's. We are at a point where now the public is just beginning to hear of these technologies. In the coming year, there will be many more attempts to bring decentralization to the masses. Through different use cases that the general public can both understand and benefit from.

This is why I am so excited by Steemit!

I think it will take a while for the masses to all use crypto-currencies widely, but decentralized apps appeal to everyone. Content creators, in the long run, will not allow one large company to control who gets to see their content and take a majority of the profit. This is only the beganning of decentralized apps! I got to go learn more about Solidity and smart contracts so I can hopefully one day build one!