One of my earliest memories is hearing the dial-up tone to connect to the Internet for the first time on a Windows 95 desktop. Back then, computers were chunky and slow. Most people doubted that the Internet would be more than a fad. Look how that turned out.
I grew up in a completely different era from the youth of today. The idea of social media, influencers, and iPhones was unimaginable. Most people would agree that the Internet ushered in one of the greatest shifts in human history. We can thank the likes of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs for pushing the technology forward. Rapid technological developments changed the way we transfer information forever. It’s now clear that crypto tokens will do the same for the transfer of value.
In the late 90s, Apple famously said that “the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones who do.” There’s a lot of truth to this, and it doesn’t just apply to the Internet’s earliest proponents. The crypto space is home to some of the world’s greatest visionaries today.
Token visionaries
Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto is the type of person Jobs was talking about in his “think different” campaign. I’d also argue that Vitalik Buterin will be remembered as one of the 21st Century’s most influential figures.
“Vitalik Buterin is already crypto’s most influential figure.”
While Bitcoin laid the foundations for the Internet money revolution, Buterin helped tokenization flourish with Ethereum. The Russian-Canadian programmer envisioned an open version of the Internet built on the blockchain. Ethereum has already become a powerful alternate financial system.
We believe that the token economy will hit mass adoption this decade. Ethereum currently sits at the epicentre of the movement. Buterin has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to predicting the future of tokenization. In recent years, he’s spoken about using Ethereum for alternative use cases beyond finance.
Vitalik Buterin’s standing in the token space
Buterin is already crypto’s most influential figure. His track record of calling trends early also means that it’s worth paying attention to what he says. That’s why we launched a Collection of tokens that have been “Caught by Vitalik.” It features projects Buterin has endorsed, used, and discussed, including Uniswap, Optimism, and Ethereum Name Service.
“The token movement will be just as disruptive as the Internet was.”
Our Vitalik-themed Collection forms part of our wider vision of how tokenization will change over the coming years. We believe that tokens will allow people to shape the world around them, whether that’s investing in a social cause that’s important to them, their favourite record label, or sports personality. As more tokens enter the economy, thought leaders like Buterin will impact how people allocate their capital to tokens. It’s something we’re thinking about with our forthcoming developments for token.com, as we invite creators to curate their own Collections.
The first time I used Bitcoin, I got the same lightbulb moment as when I first tried the Internet. Interacting with an Ethereum smart contract for the first time had a similar effect. The token movement will be just as disruptive as the Internet was. So I’m convinced that society will remember the likes of Buterin and Nakamoto as heroes once it fulfils its promise.
Mel Gelderman, CEO of token.com
Read more via CoinTelegraph here.
Please note: Investing in cryptoassets is risky. Due to the volatile nature of the cryptocurrency market, investors run the risk of losing their funds when they make an investment. Returns from cryptoasset investing are not guaranteed, therefore users should always be aware of the risks.
