How can we make more people use Bitcoin?

[polymerbit]

I've been mulling over this question for years.

I feel that Bitcoin to the greater population is this strange high tech concept based on things they do not understand. Sure, the media talks about it all the time. It is famous per se...

People obsess about the value of the coin. As a practical barter method, however, it is very limited in day to day use.

Can hiding the inner workings and simplifying the user experience make it more usable? Can tangibility truly help to bridge this gap?

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[newIndia]

Can hiding the inner workings and simplifying the user experience make it more usable? 

Definitely.

Can tangibility truly help to bridge this gap?

With increased adoption of lightning network and launch of more easy-to-use lightning wallets will probably do the trick.

[Lucius]

~snip~

There is no doubt that for the vast majority Bitcoin is still something too complicated, and I personally have experience with the average person finding it very difficult to understand and accept what Bitcoin is and what its advantage is. Unfortunately, there is still a widespread belief that this is something that is mostly used by hackers, people who buy illegal things online or those who want to launder illegally acquired money.

Not only will Bitcoin have to become something that will generally be labeled as positive and legal, but it will also have to reach a level of simplicity to the point that it can compete with a regular bank card. As a completely new concept in the current social structure, it will take a long time for adaptation to become greater than is currently the case.

Yet as things currently evolve, we are increasingly moving in a direction that takes us away from using BTC as a currency - but if we were to simplify the Lightning Network concept to the point that anyone can use it, then paying with BTC would be exceptionally competitive with all other forms of payments.

[Porfirii]

There is still a long way ahead in order to simplify the technical part for the average Joe, I agree with that, but I think that nowadays it is not so difficult to explain the most simple steps and be able to receive and send some satoshis.

In my case, I live in a country were most people hasn't even heard about Bitcoin and the few ones who have heard link it to fake news as pointed in the posts above. But there are some ways to introduce your friends into it:

For example, I had a lunch with a client of mine: he insisted in paying the bill, so I invited him to receive some satoshis ($25, that now are $50) in his smartphone. He installed a wallet quite seamlessly, and by scanning his QR the sats were on their way to his brand new wallet.

I did the same with another friend of mine, for free (another 25 bucks, again, more valuable now). Another friend of mine sold me his PS4, and I suggested him that I would pay him more than what he asked if he accepted part of the payment in bitcoin: he agreed, but this time it was near 2017's ATH, so he will now reach the breakeven, if he hasn't sold.

Even in a languages course I took two years ago, as a gift for Secret Santa, I hid a little SD card with a readme file and an ETH wallet inside an old purse. I can imagine the surprise when he opened it and read he had $10 in Ethereum to go to the cinema, but advising him to hold instead (today it will be like $60 if he hasn't spent them).

So, IMO, there is a lot we can do, via little actions, to make more people use Bitcoin in particular, and cryptos in general. Most of the people I have talked about in this post have seen the rise in price of the coins, and are now curious about it. This is the way, for me, for now at least.

Sharing knowledge is cool, but hard: it is much better to share some love

[franky1]

some tips:
over the last 8 years of using bitcoin i have learned.

when chatting up a woman at a bar. dont talk about bitcoin using jargon.. just say your an international currency trader. its not a lie. its just a simple introduction that doesnt make their brain explode.

when with friends. again no jargon. best way to introduce it is to buy a pizza using bitcoin and then tell them you didnt pay by cash or card...  let them start asking the questions..
.. just knowing they can actually buy things with it by knowing you just did is more convincing then trying to over-jargon it and then say all its benefits.
.. oh and if you cant buy pizza in your area using bitcoin.. then just dont talk about 'buying things with bitcoin' to them because within 30seconds of searching the internet they will find out they cant. and suddenly realise you have wasted your time pretending you can..
so actually check and see what you can buy. and then while with them buy it. to demonstrate

and most importantly.
before trying to talk about bitcoin to people. actually try to learn about the people. find their interests and link their interests to bitcoin. tweak the jargon into analogies they will understand. give them examples. dont just talk them to death

and lastly
dont give them the ulta sparkly positive promotional speach. be realistic and direct. learn what bitcoin can do for you and your friends in the real world and dont over promise it with 'potential' and 'maybe soons'

[malevolent]

If you want to increase Bitcoin's users base, start with educating who could benefit from it the most, i.e. people living in countries with high inflation, capital controls or those in need of better tools for regulatory arbitrage or tax footprint minimization.