After the cryptocurrencies race in 2017, many newspapers and medias (even mainstream) announced 2018 as the Year of Blockchain. Surely in the last weeks many projects going to use the blockchain technology have been announced - and not focused on a new cryptocurrency.
Uses for blockchain
Articles have been published announcing or imagining a use of blockchain for
- Healtcare
- Elections
- Property certificates
- Insurance
- Rights ownership
- Identity documents
- Notary
- Supply Chain Management
- Research data
- Private Transport and Ride Sharing
- Cloud Storage
- Charity and Philantrophy
- Energy Management
- Crowdfunding
- Trading
- And, last but not least, I don't forget about the use of blockchain for Social Media, like Steem, Yoyow and others are showing already.
Cross borders co-ops?
Probably there will be more applications for the blockchain technology we can't imagine today. And probably there will be problems and bugs no one can foresee at the moment. I don't know.
What I'm trying to think about is the meaning of such a technology for our societies.
Which is the core of the blockchain system? Shortly, it is the managing and moving data on a decentralized network of online computers managed by private individuals around the world. Well, this is the way I'd describe it simply.
The first topic always emphasized about blockchain tech is the decentralization: a task is done for us by a network of people in a public way and using a common set of rules. No central authority or government. An efficient anarchy working for a virtuous circle, somehow. Or a group of international co-ops.
I don't think this point of view describes what is going to happen with a larger spread of the blockchains. I see official and authorized blockchains, working on a network of authorized and controlled nodes, going to prevail in managing most of the tasks and applications listed above.
This is maybe the pessimistic landscape. But, who knows?, it is just a matter of strenght and weakness of the institutions, companies and governments. I can't honestly say who will win and who will fall apart. What I'm ratherly sure of is that who holds the power doesn't give it up without fighting.
What do you think?
Image source: https://www.crypto-news.net/how-the-blockchain-network-can-change-up-the-digital-advertising-market/
