This is a slightly different perspective on money than Bitcoin users are used to, firstly because it involves looking at the past rather than the future, and secondly because it draws on anthropology more than economics. I outline the two broad competing theories about the origins of money, then give a very quick history of…
The digitization of our economy will bring with it a new generation of radical economic ideologies, of which Bitcoin is arguably the first. For those with assets, technological savvy, and a sense of adventure, the state is the enemy and a cryptographic currency is the solution. But for those more focused on the decline of…
Our use of money is infused with profound cultural and political meaning, and the interplay of rival currencies can offer insights into cultural tensions. This was as true of post-Soviet Russia as it is of Bitcoin today. The anarchic virtual currency is part of a wider cultural movement that embraces technology, and replaces institutions with…
These findings are based on the first 1,000 valid responses to an online survey posted in February 2013, as part of my study of the Bitcoin community. For more on this survey see the overview page.
I remember an old daydream from years ago about an Internet army. The idea was that a core group of people would start an Internet academy, training Internet users in programming and scripting skills. As the academy grew, and students ‘graduated’, its teachers and alumni would start to form a networked community based around techno-anarchic…
Today, BBC News (and others) reported that the Rothko painting defaced by Vladimir Umanets at the Tate Modern will take “up to 18 months to repair.” Tomorrow, Vladimir Umanets is scheduled to be sentenced by London’s Crown Court for criminal damage to the Rothko. At first this feels like a very standard slice of the…