Blockchain musings
This morning I woke up to my Whatsapp ding.
My father had sent me a news article (a habit of ours) about women in blockchain, specifically about IBM’s female leadership- from its blockchain team and development to the company’s CEO. Here is the link to read on your own time.
I would like to highlight two points.
- The lede: In the male-dominated world of cryptocurrency…
In the article it links to, the author states, “The field of cryptocurrency is still in its infancy and does not need to mirror the broader tech industry’s sexism and lack of diversity. There’s no lack of interest in the field from women.”
So even if the tech industry may be male-dominated, the blockchain and cryptocurrency space is at a pivotal point in its “infancy” where it could go either way in terms of male and female participation. As Andreas Antonopoulos has said, “Bitcoin doesn’t care if you’re a person, a piece of software or an automatic dog-feeding bowl.”
The challenging part about participating in this field is the speed at which it evolves- faster than my twitter feed updates. It is hard to keep up with and it is easy to feel left behind. Some of the main principles of blockchain technology, however, are democratization and decentralization. This means that no single group, gender nor central governance control blockchains. Essentially making the technology systems accessible to all its users.
For women, particpation could mean investing in cryptocurrency through an exchange like Coinbase, working for and/or founding a startup that operates over blockchain, using FinTech applications such as Ellevest or betting on Augur. These are just a few examples of what representation in the technology and entrepreneurial world could look like.
I’d argue the disparity has a lot to do with financial literacy and the gap in STEM studies. Education or lack of it at a young age is a determinant of career choices.
Cryptocurrency doesn’t have to be male-dominated as long as women’s interest in learning about blockchain and in following its evolution remains strong.
2. The many uses of blockchain. It’s not just bitcoin.
The article brings up IBM’s initiative on food safety. “Using a cellphone, a farmer can scan the exact moment a food is planted, harvested, packaged and distributed, onto the blockchain platform. This comes in handy when there’s a food recall because a company can quickly pinpoint where things went wrong,” explained IBM Fellow Donna Dillenberger.
Upon reading this, I thought this was very innovative. I recalled a chart I had seen the other day on Twitter. You’ll be glad you read through it.
Consider all this potential and all the projects currently in the works! Which are you most looking forward to?
