MadeinFuture Series: Meet the New Infant, Ms. Blockchain.

Alice Hlidkova
Jul 27, 2017 · 4 min read

We Got the Social Creature Game

Photo Credit: passapalavra.info

As humans, we are social creatures who no longer view technology as a tool. Rather, our relationship with it boils down to the personal choice of integration, style, and trust. We integrate well with social media networks. We choose a certain interface for communication: Facebook or Snapchat. We trust its products and services so much that many of us have automatic login systems in place with the same passwords. The social impact of such technology is our impulsive and highly addictive actions that we don’t monitor. With these tools, we become free agents or e-lancers, inclusive of the “gig” economy dependent upon a shared barter system. We are living the “we” society in which rules of law are restructured, unknown, or simply broken by default.

The Second Level of Social Impact

Photo Credit: Upwork.com

The societal restructuring driven by social sharing drives social impact rapidly. Social impact was a buzz word when Mohammad Yunnus took the concept of micro-lending and spread it to parts of the world that needed new systems for equitable, localized economies. This was the 70s, where social impact was communal, exclusive of a certain gender and socio-economic status. In the last ten years, social impact is online based and requires social proof. One way to demonstrate is through video testimonials from clients and customers one finds on gig sharing platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and TaskRabbit. Entrepreneurs can hire talent anywhere in the world with such platforms. The perk is the social proof, with the true power in video production and distribution.

The Blockchain Model Ain’t Going Anywhere

Photo Credit: The Economist

New models arise from these virtual systems: for instance, Blockchains, or distribution database made on bitcoins. The Steemit platform bridges social media with a blockchain. This blockchain-based social media platform is built on a digital currency system for users to provide content that they get financially rewarded for. Every day, new units of the currency are created by the network and distributed to its users, who then exchange these digital currency units for actual real money. The real magic is that both users who upvote content and commenters who provide their opinion get rewarded. Blockchains are a darling of tech startups with more companies across industries interested globally. The World Economic Forum Chairman Klaus Schwab wrote The 4th Industrial Revolution on the future of blockchains and their role in global business.

2 Billion Under 20

The discussion then centers around measuring social impact as a result of the distribution of various blockchain systems. With a fifth of the world under the age of 20 (roughly 2 Billion), the question of accessibility will determine the social impact on various communities. For example, in parts of Africa and the Middle East, women don’t have access to the internet. Therefore they can’t access E-Banking or blockchains. The income gap deepens and access narrows. Yet such systems empower the social entrepreneur and in other countries promote self-employment.

Social media drives social change and democratizes the entrepreneurial roadmap. As we update our national and global policies on anything tech — fin, bio etc. we command the quality of management to implement various platforms and systems into our lives. The future of work is socially inclined with more companies adopting the startup model — lean and localized to foster future creativity and current innovation. Whether we wear or implant technology into our lives, maintaining a resilient mindset is key to our survival.

For more on blockchains, check out BBIF, Chamber of Digital Commerce, Coindesk

Here are great YouTube Videos on blockchains!

Acknowledgements: I would like to thank my clients, digital marketers, growth hackers and technologists, who continue to expose my mind to new ideas and models to create the shifting paradigm ripples around the planet. Jonathan Foltz World Economic Forum Jeff Weiner WEF Blockchain Council WEF Global Futures Council on Platforms & Systems David Borah

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