What's stopping people from using bitcoin?

[lihuajkl]

Today I was mentioning to my friends about Bitcoin! What he concern is that Bitcoin is digital, and how could it has value. And the price as well! If you buy now at $400, tomorrow it becomes $300 and no one will buy your coins!

[tunisiaforex0]

I can't buy bitcoin with neteller mastercard as it is not 3D secure card.

[umaOuma]

Today I was mentioning to my friends about Bitcoin! What he concern is that Bitcoin is digital, and how could it has value. And the price as well! If you buy now at $400, tomorrow it becomes $300 and no one will buy your coins!

I think that is one of the reason and the other reason could be lack of knowledge related to new technologies and also a fixed mindset towards a particular thing, mainly they don't want to innovate their thoughts towards something new and have faith that bitcoins would not survive too long due to its volatility.

[ivan19]

The basic knowledge on how bitcoin operates.

[Slark]

The basic knowledge on how bitcoin operates.

This. And also no real benefit of using bitcoin over a PayPal and Credit/Debit Cards. True, there are small fees when dealing with PP, and bank transfers but people are so brainwashed that they think these fees are fundamental and needed. Bitcoin for now is a hindrance, as you need not only bitcoin but, exchange account validated the same way you validate your bank account, or link between your bank and your exchange acc.
How this is simple and more inviting to use over standard FIAT?

[kyrios_]

Possibly volatility. I still regret that humble bundle I bought long ago with bitcoin. It was 5USD at that time....

[bitmarket.net]

I think that bitcoin's volatility (perceived and real) is somewhat of an obstacle.

If the price wasn't fluctuating so widely, possibly more people would be willing to hold it.
There's a trade-off here, though: many people holding bitcoin today, do it precisely because it is so volatile and they expect to make money from this.

[Furio]

High fees to purchase, not tech minded, high priced, high risk, government propaganda, the ego's within the bitcoin community, extreme volitality, high fees with interexchange, deflationary, too late to profit with regards to the early adopters.... the list can go on and on

[avatar_kiyoshi]

I think that bitcoin's volatility (perceived and real) is somewhat of an obstacle.

If the price wasn't fluctuating so widely, possibly more people would be willing to hold it.
There's a trade-off here, though: many people holding bitcoin today, do it precisely because it is so volatile and they expect to make money from this.

This is the biggest thing people stopping use bitcoin, and mostly that people come from who gamble to buy bitcoin  to earn profit from it without do an analyze before.

And bitcoin is still can be commodity and at once it can be use as currency. but I think it will be volatile for ever if you can see a supply and the demand.

[goinmerry]

The basic knowledge on how bitcoin operates.

Very right my man. Without knowledge they wont start. But if you trh to explain it they wont listen. They dont want anything that will get them to work again. Specially to those who have work. They better stay like that than have more.

[Daniel91]

Very interesting questions
I can mention a few most important.
People are afraid to use Internet for finance.
They are afraid to join something they don't understand fully.
People are in general skeptic about anything new, revolutionary, specially if comes from Internet.
Bitcoin still didn't become mainstream.
Because value of bitcoin changing all the rimes people see it as gambling, not serious investment.
and many more...

[goinmerry]

Today I was mentioning to my friends about Bitcoin! What he concern is that Bitcoin is digital, and how could it has value. And the price as well! If you buy now at $400, tomorrow it becomes $300 and no one will buy your coins!

It started so high that is why people know bitcoin as a falling currency. But that idea that bitcoin is digital money is so wrong. Paypal is also digital money you put your dollar on a online bank. How come bitcoin is not thought just like that.

[a1059]

From watching exchanges, I think a big financial fear is just the how volatile the value of bitcoin can be. I mean a $200 drop the other week from $500 is a big deal >< I could imagine the amount of people who were greedy to keep holding and cash out when it got higher be disappointed.

[niallo27]

Security is also a big issue. You cannot expect the normal person on the street to be able to keep their coins safe. Its too hard for them.

[randy8777]

Security is also a big issue. You cannot expect the normal person on the street to be able to keep their coins safe. Its too hard for them.

why not? because they don't know how to create a secure offline cold storage? it's not hard at all. it's just a matter of saving your wallet file to a thumb drive. it also doesn't require you a lot effort to create a paper wallet. if you meant something else, please explain.

[niallo27]

Security is also a big issue. You cannot expect the normal person on the street to be able to keep their coins safe. Its too hard for them.

why not? because they don't know how to create a secure offline cold storage? it's not hard at all. it's just a matter of saving your wallet file to a thumb drive. it also doesn't require you a lot effort to create a paper wallet. if you meant something else, please explain.

Yes its easy for us on here because by the fact that we are on here we all pretty technical, but i could not imagine trying to explain it to my mother or father and expect them to understand.

[bitcoinwins]

I guess people just dont see it as an actual currency also it goes up and down in price all the time if you have $1 then you have $1 but if you have 1btc then you may have $320 or $160 another time.

[ATguy]

Security is also a big issue. You cannot expect the normal person on the street to be able to keep their coins safe. Its too hard for them.

why not? because they don't know how to create a secure offline cold storage? it's not hard at all. it's just a matter of saving your wallet file to a thumb drive. it also doesn't require you a lot effort to create a paper wallet. if you meant something else, please explain.

Yes its easy for us on here because by the fact that we are on here we all pretty technical, but i could not imagine trying to explain it to my mother or father and expect them to understand.

Try trezor for your parents then, it is hardware wallet and if you check the address on your trezor dispay where it really wants to send the Bitcoins, then it is very safe. Very expensive now, 99 USD, but with more competetion and bigger market it could cost much less in future... So Bitcoin can be very safe for nontechnical people with these hardware wallets, not harder to use than cell phone which your parrents probably have...

[calkob]

Most people who i know and talk to about BTC havnt heard of it, i'm doing my best to change that....

[shyliar]

Critical mass needs to be achieved. Unfortunately the community isn't expanding at the same rate as it was in 2013. It may even be shrinking.