“Bitcoin has such a marketing problem.”
These were the thoughts of Bitcoin (BTC) advocate and Cointelegraph reporter Joe Hall when asked about the strengths and weaknesses of the popular cryptocurrency. Although Hall doesn’t consider himself a “Bitcoin maximalist,” he believes that most people, including crypto OGs, are shockingly unaware of Bitcoin’s capabilities. Therefore, he questions the necessity and future of most altcoin projects.
“They’re creating imperfect solutions that, in the long term, will rug-pull them or close enough to that. Because, let’s be honest, all of these crypto projects eventually collapse into Bitcoin, or they eventually collapse full stop. We saw enough of that last year. In 10, 15, 20, maybe 40 years’ time, Bitcoin will still be running 1,000%. Ethereum is in question. And the other 20-ish thousand crypto projects won’t be going strong.”
Hall proved his point by asking co-hosts Jonathan DeYoung and Ray Salmond to open their Bitcoin Lightning wallets and accept the equivalent of $5 in satoshis. DeYoung downloaded the wallet and received payment, and both co-hosts were astounded at the transaction’s speed.
On Episode 13 of The Agenda podcast, Salmond and DeYoung discussed with Hall his views on Bitcoin adoption and its “marketing problem,” his ultimate vision of how Bitcoin could eventually conquer the financial world, and how his experience as a Bitcoin evangelist has connected him with people worldwide.
It’s More Than Just Money
Hall believes that Bitcoin is more than just money; it’s a revolution, a lifestyle, a binder of people, and a creator of community.
Hall stated:
“Bitcoin, to me, in my own words: It’s an expression of how we approach the world, I guess. It’s had an impact on me in terms of my approach to people, to different cultures, and in the way I interact with people—despite the fact that it is just a bunch of code on a screen. And because it’s rewired the way I look at the world and consider things, it’s taught me to be more skeptical and to not take things at face value. But it’s also delivered a lot of hope and a lot of meaning to my existence that perhaps wasn’t there previously.”
Hall has elected to live off Bitcoin for his day-to-day expenses, excluding European Union taxes. When asked why he is such a strong supporter of the digital currency, Hall shared, “We can’t live in a world that is governed by growth at all costs when we have one finite, very precious planet.”
“Bitcoin appeals to me because it flips that all on its head. We have a deflationary currency, there’s only going to be 21 million, and we can rebuild our economic system off that in a way that raises all boats, not just the elite few. It tackles things like the wealth gap and wealth inequality. It addresses environmental concerns, as Bitcoin mining could be this transition to using renewable energies more and more.”
To hear more from Hall’s conversation with The Agenda—including his future vision for Bitcoin and his fascination with the Lightning Network—listen to the full episode on Cointelegraph’s Podcasts page, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And don’t forget to check out Cointelegraph’s full lineup of other shows!
Magazine: Building community resilience to crises through mutual aid and Web3
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
