When I began promoting bitcoin and blockchain technology back in 2012, my Dad was a tough target. There was the prevalent skepticism and standard objections of “what’s supporting it?”, “what can you do with it?” and “what exactly is cryptography?” At that time, my presentation wasn’t polished, and the educational resources had not quite developed yet…but honestly, I believe a significant reason he didn’t understand it was due to his lack of technical knowledge and reluctance to embrace emerging technologies.
I gently persevered, and he ultimately came around. By the end of 2012, he had acquired a substantial amount of coins, and as the price skyrocketed, I gained more of his attention for future prospects that might come up.
However, he didn’t decide to purchase Bitcoins because he managed to comprehend the technology; in fact, I’m still unsure years later if he comprehends much of the bitcoin intricacies or has fully understood the possible impacts that blockchain technology can present. When Ethereum was introduced, he definitely didn’t grasp the concept and couldn’t fathom why I made the decision to abandon everything in late 2013 and risk significant funds in supporting the project alongside my then co-founders Vitalik, Mihai, and Charles, and eventually the rest of the founding team, as it stands today.
Bitcoin is complicated to articulate, while Ethereum elevates that complexity. It’s not rocket science but may certainly appear to many as such. Unfamiliar terms like smart contracts, smart property, or Dapps can seem intimidating to the average person. Even vocabulary that is becoming more prevalent such as “cryptocurrency” or “distributed ledger system” can still perplex many. The reality is, this technology is not easily digestible for most, and the communication needs ongoing enhancement and tailoring for this to evolve.
Correctly so, the primary emphasis and current aim of Ethereum is to equip developers with the tools they need and to demonstrate how they can build the products that end users will come to value. Less time and effort has been dedicated to clarifying Ethereum for end consumers, businesses, and institutions.
With weekly news of “blockchain integrations” (See NASDAQ, IBM, Honduras Government and numerous others) and supportive legislative proposals emerging from nations like Canada, there’s clear heightened interest from various sectors, and as more integration initiatives make headlines, growing curiosity arises from organizations keen on not being left behind.
Simplifying Complex Concepts
So how can we convey Ethereum, and generally, intricate ideas to the broader audience? Whether it’s a business communicating new advancements to investors, or an educator presenting a complex topic within a limited timeframe, the challenge lies in how to distill a wealth of primarily technical details and efficiently simplify and convey it in a captivating and informative manner?
One solution is infographics. Here are several advantages of this format
- Infographics are more visually engaging than plain text as they typically combine visuals, colors, and content that naturally attract attention and appeal to those with shorter concentration spans.
- Infographics are highly shareable online with embed codes and are ideal for social media sharing
- If aesthetically pleasing with cohesive colors, shapes, messages, and logos, they provide an effective vehicle for brand recognition
Below is the concept of the initial general infographic for Ethereum aimed at the general public. I’ll let it articulate itself and I welcome feedback and inquiries regarding why we formulated the message in that manner or why certain terms or concepts were omitted. Please don’t hesitate to share this and help disseminate the message across the web.
This is the first in a series of proposed infographics. The next will concentrate more on Ethereum applications across various sectors, followed by one targeted at the more technically minded.
I’m missing father’s day with my Dad (and my brother’s first father’s day) to be in Switzerland for Ethereum business. Nevertheless, I saw my Dad this week and experienced a sense of achievement when after presenting him with the infographic, he remarked: “I finally have an understanding of what Ethereum is and its potential. Now what’s all this buzz about Bitcoin?”
Happy father’s day to all you dads out there from Ethereum
Anthony Di Iorio is a co-founder of Ethereum and currently acts as a consultant and advisor for the project. He is the president and founder of Decentral and Decentral Consulting Services, which provide technological consultancy services that specialize in blockchain and decentralized technology integrations for enterprises, small businesses, and startups. Anthony is the cryptocurrency advisor at MaRS Discovery District, organizes the Toronto Ethereum Meetup Group and DEC_TECH (Decentralized Technologies) events and will be lecturing this summer at the University of Nicocia’s Masters Program in Digital Currencies.
