I appreciate the aims of this post, as I’m strongly in favor of clear thinking about labels.

When people use “blockchain” as an abstract noun, it’s typically in reference to it as a field of endeavor. Replace “blockchain” with “VR” and you’ll see what I mean: “VR could change the internet” or “I’m excited about VR.” People are searching for a word to use it as a field. I can understand that, though it does sound clumsy! I usually say “blockchain technology” or “blockchain field” or “decentralization” (and of course the latter has different scope).

Also, in my view, “blockchain” is useful as an adjective to summarize characteristics of blockchains, such as “blockchain storage” or “blockchain database.”