Here is a simple test to highlight how few people have a practical knowledge of bitcoin.
When did you first hear about the internet?
When did you get your first email address?
When did you send your first email to someone you didn't know about something you wanted to buy?
When did you first use the internet to chat to someone you didn't know?
When did you first use the internet to do something with your local government office?
When did you first buy something online, and how much did you spend?
The answers will give you an idea of how long it will take before bitcoin is mainstream.
I am an Uber geek, and a reasonably old one, so I've been online since the early 90s - but my relatives are different, and that is who you ask the questions above to!
We need to get to at least 30% of the population being able to answer yes to a bitcoin version of the above before you can say its reached mainstream!
1) somewhere in the 90's
2) Somewhere in the 90's
3) what?
4) we used to chat on the internet all the time when i was at school, probably somewhere in the early 90's
5) somewhere in the 2000's
6) somewhere in the 2000's, probably a small transaction.
however, consider this:
Three interesting things can be seen in this chart
1) People adopt new technology quicker as time progresses.
2) People adopt technology that is simular to new technology faster than they adopt entirely new technology (look at color tv versus computers, and cellphones vs computers), also apperantly things that enhance other things, like VCR, seem to catch on quicker as well. (also, VCR is simular to tapes)
3) all technologies start slow at first, then go exponential, and then flatten out once almost everyone who wants them, has them. (this supports the theory that bitcoin will continue to grow exponentially until the market gets saturated)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHUPPYzzZrI
