OPINION - Why Bitcoin Needs Stories to Survive

STORY - “a description, either true or imagined, of a connected series of events.” Cambridge Dictionary

Stories mean different things to different people, but to this writer, they’re a way of connecting to something we care about.

Whatever medium the story is told in; a novel, a short story, a song or a poem - that doesn’t really matter. What matters is feeling compelled from start to finish; this is what good stories do to us.

Why do we tell stories? 

When we choose to tell a story, it’s because we feel we have a message that’ll resonate. Normally, this feeling is accurate. Sharing stories brings us closer, helps us understand each other, and keeps us entertained in a world designed to capture and hold our attention. 

Why Bitcoin needs stories 

Bitcoin may be sixteen years old, but it is still a relative unknown to many of our fellow humans; it needs stories to survive.

Stories not just about the creation of generational wealth, but about the freedom and self-sovereignty holding it can bestow upon humans past, present and future. 

Answering our what-if questions through fiction 

It is often said that writers write about what they know.

I’d argue this conventional wisdom is backwards.

How many writers tell us tales about dragons, princesses and ghosts? Fantastical things that don’t exist, but we wish did.

Storytelling, then, becomes aspirational in nature, we write about what we want to know. 

Expanding the mind, vocabulary, and sense of wonder

Reading and listening ignites the mind in a way that speaking does not: it allows us to learn from other perspectives, pick up new words and understand that the world is bigger than ourselves. We are part of a community, and should act as such.

Learning more about the world we want to live in and what’s possible

Once we’ve listened and learned through reading, our own storytelling will be better informed and more meaningfully impactful for our audience. We can start to talk about the future, and what we want, instead of the past and what was wrong with it.

Why are there so few Bitcoin stories today?

Outside of the two (one unreleased) 21 Futures anthologies, you’ll be hard pressed to find stories about bitcoin and its revolutionary potential.

There are a number of reasons for this:

• Long-term reputational issues around crypto such as decrying it all to be a scam

• The complex nature of new technologies such as blockchain and cryptocurrencies

• Fear of judgement from our friends, family and peers who are sceptical

• The technical nature of Bitcoiners does not necessarily lend itself to the creative arts

And many more.

You wait though, change is coming.

Why we need Bitcoin stories 

Demystifying and explaining complex propositions like Bitcoin through the medium of storytelling could usher in a whole new generation of people who can learn the value of a decentralized society.

Joining a community with similar goals and interests makes everyone happier, and there is more than enough room in our community of Bitcoin storytellers for you.

Do you have a story to tell?

Let this be your rallying cry.

If you believe stories are vital to Bitcoin (and the world’s future), why don’t you submit your stories to 21 Futures?