A couple of days ago, I had one of those "we're still early moments" at work when I overheard the conversations that some guys were having about crypto. I tried to give them mild education about it but their opinions seemed set in stone and I simply didn't have the strength to convince anyone.
Bear in mind that I work night shifts, so most conversations and events in my workplace are happening in the wee hours of the morning. So, it is quite difficult to start teaching crypto, blockchain and affiliated technology to people who are drunk on ignorance by 2 am in the morning.
People in the UK aren't much different from people in Nigeria when it comes to crypto. It is a baffling realisation that frankly disappoints me because I feel like people here, with access to better amenities will be able to do more research.
In fact, based on my surface analysis, it seems like people in Nigeria are more conversant with crypto and blockchain technology. I guess the necessity and survival trump the availability of fast internet to do personal research.
Anyway, at the warehouse, around say, 2 a.m. while we were undergoing training, some of the guys were talking about crypto. One of them uttered with utmost confidence that "crypto is officially a scam". In my head, I responded "No you're a scam" but I didn't want to be too hasty, so I interjected and asked, what he meant.
His response to my question was nothing short of hysterical but here's the issue, I was the only one that had any knowledge of what crypto and blockchains are about. According to this gentleman, crypto is officially a scam and "the person that invented crypto is on trial".
Now you can imagine that at this point, I was holding in laughter but the intensity on his face coupled with the fact that others were actually taking him seriously made it weird to laugh. He said, "the guy that created Binance is the guy that created crypto and he is on trial" I asked, which guy, knowing that I wouldn't get any response, but then got bored of the conversation, so I just turned away.
So Early
What baffles me about this aforementioned conversation and many other interactions I have had with people about crypto is the level of misunderstanding. It is almost as if people are intentionally being misinformed to suit a preconceived narrative.
Crypto is still the new guy in the room and the mainstream media have done a number on the industry. They're always churning out negative news for clicks and views because that's what the majority want to hear.
Whenever something goes wrong, the media are quick to point it out but for some reason, they never talk about the positives. It is almost as if the goal is to ensure the public has a negative perception of the industry.