Is this a question for philosopers alone? Of course not .. everyone who thinks about it for a moment will reach the correct conclusion - some 'thing' is said to be real when a large number of people, all observers or users of said thing, say it is so. Something is said to be "objectively true", when, if you separated yourself from your self, and your current wants, wishes, fears, beliefs and biases, if that 'other self' agrees that something is true, and again, if many others in a similar state of clarity agree, something can be described as objectively true.
Like fiat currency itself, the US Dollar for example, we have to ask ourselves what gives it value? Why is a dollar 'worth' a dollar? Well, at one time of course it was worth what it was because its existence was tied to a corresponding amount of gold, being held in reserve. Today this is no longer the case, so the dollar, as with all other currencies, are "worth" what they are because the people that use these currencies reach agreement on what that measure is .. they collectively "believe" it to be true, because all others believe the same thing - this makes it real and true.
But to make it even more so, it must be put to meaningful use, by the largest number of people possible - this serves as constant validation of the thing's worth and "realness" -
In the crypto-currency space there is a similar dynamic, however the number of participants are far fewer. The largest proportion of crypto-currency users and "enthusiasts" have experience with the most well-known crypto-currency, Bitcoin - everyone in the space believes Bitcoin to have the value it does, because they do .. and .. because they need to. Bitcoin is the first, largest, and most widely used and usable of the crypto-currencies. It can be used to purchase items and services, in the real world as well as the virtual - it can be exchanged for fiat currency as well, directly, which only a few of the great many crypto-currencies can.
In fact, Bitcoin is what is used to measure the value of these myriad other "coins", for the simple reason that you can 'bank' on Bitcoin .. exchange any coin, "Litecoin" for example, for Bitcoin, and then sell that Bitcoin for cold hard cash, deposited to your bank account. This is great for those already involved with Blockchains and crypto-currency - it serves as a backbone so we all buy, sell and hold Bitcoin.
Something is seen to be real when you and others perceive it to be so; something is said to have value when you and others believe it to be so, but nothing is more real 'and' valuable than when you and others make 'use' of it. Bitcoin could exist, but if it were not 'used' it's existence and value would be meaningless. One admirable attempt at estimating the number of Bitcoin users today was found on Reddit .. the logic seems fairly sound.
Taking these data points into mind I think its a good estimate to put the total number of current bitcoin users between 3 million and 5.4 million worldwide with us likely being closer to the 4 million user area.
How long did it take Bitcoin to reach this number, if it is indeed anywhere near accurate? __ 7 YEARS!__ How long has STEEMIT taken to reach "approximately" 100 000 users? Less than 7 months!
Why? Because there is something very real, very useful about it, that is instantly understandable, and immediately beneficial. The more people that use it, the more real and valuable it becomes. Given the nature of the thing, and the rate of adoption (the potential rate of adoption), STEEM is set to surpass Bitcoin, within a few short years. There is nothing more human than sharing ideas, sharing ones art, sharing themselves with others .. creating an economic engine at the heart of this activity fuels itself, and grows more robust with every human contribution that is added to the STEEM Blockchain.
This folks is an engine that will only become faster and more powerful, and there is no reason to think that it will stop, because we what we are doing here we would be doing elsewhere, regardless, and it is something that BILLIONS of people are doing every day! They will continue to come at an increasing rate, because they will tell their friends and family how real and valuable it is, something they 'experienced' themselves, immediately upon entering.
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