I was in the process of joining a new gym the other day, and the lady asked me what I did. I paused momentarily and said that I was into cryptocurrency; '...you know? Like Bitcoin.'
Ah yes! At the mention of Bitcoin, the blank look that had crossed her face when I said the word cryptocurrency, vanished, and was replaced by one of recognition.
I don't know why I said that, I usually reply that I'm a writer, seeing as I don't have a job and earn money writing on Steemit.
However that doesn't really cover what I do, and so it got me musing over how my situation is representative of countless others.
New Definitions For A New Paradigm
For some reason the word entrepreneur has always bothered me, although it may be an apt description of what I am, as I dabble in many things and don't have a regular job.
However the term doesn't seem to cover it for me, perhaps if I was French and had a deeper understanding of the term, I wouldn't be saying that.
The fact is I'm not, and when I think of my situation, and others that I'm either aware of or not, it strikes me that a term is needed to describe people who inhabit these new crypto spaces.
Trader's Paradise
Perhaps the most obvious feature of this new world we live in, is that the availability of cryptos has made traders of us all.
Perhaps then it is cryptotrader I should put on a business card?
Or maybe as I mentioned before, Steemit Blogger might be what one who survives by posting on Steemit should call themselves?
However what about somebody who still leverages their Steemit account, yet doesn't use it to post articles? There are many examples of that, to accounts that only vote, to ones like our dear friend @neoxian whom uses his account as a bank.
A Matter Of Definition
Maybe none of this matters, perhaps the only reason for any kind of new definition is to have something to answer to the question of 'So what do you do?'
It could all be a social question, something to say when we're at parties, or maybe it matters beyond that. There are instances in the corporate world, whereby we legally have to define our statuses.
Or maybe that's the point, we are part of a world that places high value on decentralisation and anonymity, perhaps then having no definition of what it is we do, is the ultimate manifestation of those values.
What's In A Name?
I guess that's all well and good, but when it comes down to it, categorisation is a human necessity. When Prince Rogers Nelson decided that he no longer wanted to be called Prince, as he felt the name had become a symbol for corporate greed. We still called him The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, because, well, what the hell were we supposed to call him?!
Prince himself decided that he wanted his name to be a symbol. When asked what the name of the symbol was, he replied that it didn't have a name.
Hmmm, shall we call you that sign then?
No.
It's pretty difficult to write album reviews on an artist with no name . . .
I Am Crypto
For now, 'I do crypto stuff' is enough, and I guess the fun is, I can answer differently to the question, whilst remaining truthful, depending on my mood at the time.
So I guess the real question is; is this just an interesting social question; or does it reflect a greater change at large, and if so; what does it mean?
ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE DEFINING WHAT YOU DO? OR MAYBE WHAT YOU DID BEFORE THE DAYS OF CRYPTO IS CHANGING INTO SOMETHING ELSE AND YOU CAN'T QUITE WORK OUT WHAT. AS EVER, LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS BELOW!