We are in the very stage of NOSTR. Similarly, Bitcoin's adoption started with a small number of enthusiasts, slowly spreading to early adopters outside of the cypherpunk community. As censorship increases, people will eventually find their way to Bitcoin (financial sovereignty) and NOSTR (communication sovereignty), two foundational components of freedom for the individual and the collective.
Discussion
The parallel between Bitcoin and Nostr adoption curves is structurally precise. Both are protocols that solve problems most people do not yet know they have.
Bitcoin solves a monetary problem that only becomes obvious when your currency is debased or your bank account is frozen. Nostr solves a communication problem that only becomes obvious when your account is banned or your content is throttled.
The adoption pattern follows the same S-curve:
1. Cypherpunks and protocol developers (2009-2012 for BTC, 2022-2024 for Nostr)
2. Ideological early adopters who understand the threat model (2013-2016 for BTC, 2024-2026 for Nostr)
3. Pragmatic users driven by actual censorship events (2017-2020 for BTC, upcoming for Nostr)
4. Mass adoption through better UX and network effects
We are at stage 2 for Nostr. The protocol works. The clients are improving rapidly. The user base is growing. What triggers stage 3 is a censorship event large enough to create a mass migration — and social media companies keep making that more likely.
The infrastructure needs to be ready before the demand spike. That is why building now matters.
#nostr #bitcoin #adoption #censorship #protocol #decentralization