Nostr Web Client

Bitcoin succeeded because it solved an immediate problem people have. Nostr is building the right solution for real censorship-resistance, but we're currently creating a free speech infrastructure with retention issues—dissidents need amplification, not just protection.

db 5mo ago 💬 2

"Bitcoin succeeded because it solved an immediate problem.”

Yeah — and most people didn’t even see that problem at the time. It was nerd money, tulip mania, internet magic beans... until it wasn’t.

Now apply that to Nostr.

Censorship IS a real problem. People just don’t feel it yet or think it won’t happen to them. But when it does, it’s already too late. That’s why Nostr matters.

Yes, it’s early. Yes, it’s rough. So was Bitcoin in 2010.

And if you don’t get why censorship-resistant communication is worth building now, before it’s “needed”…

"If you don't get it, I don't have time to explain it to you.”

We’re not late. We’re early. Again.

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Discussion

Silberengel 5mo ago 💬 1

Hardly anyone gets personally censored. That's why it's not a draw for the social feed use case. Different with the OtherStuff. Git repos, books, medical journals, media, store-fronts, etc. is the part where censorship-resistence is valuable.

But, like I said, you need the social feed hopping, to keep the relays going, as they provide the mass. Social feed and DMs.

You can advertise your other stuff off-Nostr, but you can't store the data off-Nostr.

db 5mo ago

lol, "Hardly anyone gets censored.”

You might think that, until it happens to you, or someone close to you.

I have friends who’ve been shadowbanned, deplatformed, and financially censored, not just on X or Facebook, but on dating apps, Airbnb, and banking platforms.

This isn’t hypothetical. It’s not rare. It’s just quiet. That’s how censorship works now, not dramatic bans, but silent removals and algorithmic suppression.

And sure, social feeds feel trivial — until they’re the only way you have to reach people. They’re the gateway layer. Without them, the "OtherStuff” doesn’t reach the world. You can't build a censorship-resistant ecosystem while relying on censored infrastructure for discovery and distribution.

Relays stay alive because people talk. DMs, shitposts, serious threads, they’re all part of the same defense: freedom to publish, to speak, to exist online without a gatekeeper.

If you still think “it’s not a problem,” that’s fine.

But as Satoshi said:

"If you don’t get it, I don’t have time to explain it to you.”

GFY 5mo ago

MAYBE YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN CENSORED, BUT DONT SPEAK FOR EVERYONE

BITCOINERS AND MANY OTHERS GOT CENSORED LEFT & RIGHT ON TWITTER DURING COVID, SO MUCH SO THAT PEOPLE HAD NUMBERS AT THE END OF THEIR NEW PROFILES TO SHOW THEIR # OF BANS ...