Replying to Avatar Guy Swann

I like this input, but I think it understands the precise reasons for the decline of P2P, as well as its difference to monetary networks and the limitations of centralized alternatives.

In this context, if we want an accurate picture of the distinctions, we should mentally frame #Bitcoin more like the internet itself rather than like BitTorrent.

Bitcoin is fundamentally a new way to come to consensus without a central authority. The benefits and capabilities of that cannot be recreated in a centralized, closed network. Much the same way that the closed phone networks or “curated nets” like AOL online could compete with the open internet. Inevitably, of people aren’t all using the same CBDC, they will be restricted from trade and the frictions of centralized validators, whitelists, permissioned access, and all the rest are inescapable. Not to mention the blatant inflation. While everyone gets wealthier on Bitcoin, everyone will always get poorer with CBDCs.

You can only have any unit of value in a single money at one time, it explicitly cannot be separated. Meaning to get the benefit of one, it’s at the direct trade off of the other. CBDCs (or fiat) can never be convenient enough to match the potential of Bitcoin, because it’s specifically *consensus* that fiat/CBDCs lack as closed platforms.

I’m pretty sure I talk about this difference and expand on it at length in this episode. Super blast from the past but still very relevant:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7914VQ2dOJIeWvOzLS0KBX?si=GMIAabSsTYWh37qR-LGyYQ

True, but not many people will understand that. I think it - or rather the information - may become a catch 22: maybe Nostr and similar technologies could be free (as in freedom, regardless of if as in beer or not) ways for people to discover this, but they will first need to know such things exist, and also experience a reason to use them. For obvious reasons, it's in centralized social media platforms' interest to shadowban the information as hard as possible. I'm actually surprised that for example Reddit's r/nostr still seems to exist.

It may also be in governments' interest in the future (or already) to force social media to shadowban all information on Bitcoin's benefits, and things that may lead people to finding out, such as information about Nostr.

I realize I'm still doom-and-glooming about things that aren't certain, it's probably a result of two decades of privacy mainly going in the wrong direction... I just don't have much hope that people in general are going to have any strong desire and/or ability and/or knowledge, or whatever it is that has been lacking in the privacy matter, to make any difference in any other important matter either.

Anyway, I'll listen to the episode some time in the coming week.

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