trust, or the lack of it.

[WillyAp]

On Bitcointalk there is the merit and trust system in place. Merit can be abused, bought or manipulated.

What do do to make Bitcoin, Crypto more popular?

The only way you can support bitcoin is to buy, hold and stay invested in it in the midst of the good and bad times. by doing that, it shows that you have trust in it and that you still see more of it potential which is why you are still invested in it.

What about asking people to join?
How about asking bestbuy to accept Bitcoin? Or Crypto?
How about websites giving away sats, as it was done before in the beginning.
There are many ways to spread the word.  

[BitBakerr1]

I think it lack of offline marketing.

I have seen many advertisement in social medias, ads and any other places in internet, but I haven't see any advertisement via offline. I know there was a meet up or event, but it mostly for small group or private, once their meet up / event ends, their promotion will ends too.

Unlike stock, there's brokerage building which make people visit if they're interested with stock.

Helena Yu you are very correct, cryptocurrency is only focused online and they do advert only online and they think everyone will see it, we have a lot of people who usually don't believe anything dey see on social media and we also have people who usually don't have business with social media, those that don't believe anything they see online will never agree to invest in cryptocurrency because they see it as scam and again for the fact that some set of people usually coming online and saying cryptocurrency is scam just because they invested on a crypto coin and they lost.
Those that are not interested in social media they will not know about cryptocurrency and if they don't know about cryptocurrency they can't invest in cryptocurrency.
Now this set of people are the ones that are remaining to invest or grow interest in cryptocurrency but if they are being told about cryptocurrency face-to-face and discuss cryptocurrency with them I believe they will grow interest in it and start investing in it.

[DPHOR]

For the past years bitcoin has created more waves within across these years and unlike before earlier 2012-15, the adoption that has taken place now can't be comparable because lot of investors and trader are venturing into the market on a regular basis compared as before, again we must also know or note that bitcoin doesn't have any authority to control and centralized it flows or usage. Bitcoin is a stand alone asset where no one has any power in it rather different people can invest in it, however, you can't control the next person on when to sell or buy rather every individuals has their power and right to buy and hold or sells whenever they wants without the person controlling them.

When you talks about the  forum, to me I would say that forum is a separate thing from bitcoin as here is platform where people interact and communicates about the development and growth of bitcoin, where people could team together to perform a particular function, just as we have several things happening here, and for that there should be a thing that should governed here since is more of an open place where people meet together and there should be a regulation and sets of rules which would governed the community to absolutely maintain peace or serves their penalty whenever they violate anything in the forum that is why you see them having the trust system. While merit is for encouragement of good post.

[Zlantann]

What do do to make Bitcoin, Crypto more popular?

Bitcoin adoption will grow organically. There is no need to begin to engage in any form of advertisement. The way most of us discovered Bitcoin, others that who are serous about investing will discover it one day. These days it is easier to find almost anything you need on the internet. With the benefits that Bitcoin offer, I dont think anyone who cares about privacy and freedom would need to be encouraged to buy Bitcoin. 

Most people who made profit from investing in altcoins end up pulling out their money to invest in Bitcoin. The reason is because Bitcoin is more reliable and trustworthy than altcoins.

[WillyAp]

For the past years bitcoin has created more waves within across these years and unlike before earlier 2012-15, the adoption that has taken place now can't be comparable because lot of investors and trader are venturing into the market on a regular basis compared as before, again we must also know or note that bitcoin doesn't have any authority to control and centralized it flows or usage.

So you do agree that we are in a time of stagnation.
The millions who have become millionaires won't give back anything? 

[Bitcoin Smith]

Why did you mentioned that merit can be abused in the middle of your thread? Bitcoin adoption has nothing to do with the merit system of bitcointalk.

How many people participated in this survey? Atleast a thousand still it is not enough size to consider what is happening in the whole crypto world and if you think bitcoin hasn't changed since 2021 then how it went from 35K to 126K in that time period which must be possible only if new liquidity entered into the market.

And some of the important events happened in these time period are approval of ETF and the idea of strategic reserves which means it is growing in the adoption right?

[dezoel]

I did not know the users number stayed the same from 2021 to 2025, is that a true number? Feels like we have a lot more these days but maybe that is just same number of people but more of them are talking compared to past, that could be the way.

I think it's quite clear that we are going to end up with something much better, we should be considering how things could change and we could end up with a lot more. It's of course not that great for the time being, but it's in the end something that we can do, it is not that complicated. Number of people should not increase, that's not a thing that we need, we have enough, the amount of money those people are putting should be increasing, and more focused.

Instead of all the shitty memetokens, shitcoins, high leverage, imagine all of that money , and I mean ALL of it ,going into top ten coins, we would skyrocket like crazy. That's the problem we have, too much diversified into shitty things at the moment.

[Fortify]

All business is based on trust.
Bitcoin or more recently crypto has much to do. The share of people who deal and wheel in Crypto remained the same from 2021 to 2025.
That means we all have done a terrible job to make Crypto more aceptable.

On Bitcointalk there is the merit and trust system in place. Merit can be abused, bought or manipulated.

What do do to make Bitcoin, Crypto more popular?  

Well you threw in that rant about the merit system, but it seems to work fairly. If we park that and concentrate what you raised the topic for, what exactly have you contributed to the success of bitcoin between 2021 and 2025, since you seem so adamant that everyone else has let it down? It has actually grown in valuable a tremendous amount during that time, regardless of what you say, with natural dips and peaks. There may be the same quantity of people using it between those two time ranges, but it doesn't mean the exact same users are the only ones engaged with it. To me, that is actually a sign of success because it shows a base line level of support that has not eroded but has the potential to grow when combined with the odd catalyst (which might just be more ETF's entering the market). You have taken a very negative viewpoint on progress, but I would suggest the opposite is actually true.

[WillyAp]

All business is based on trust.
Bitcoin or more recently crypto has much to do. The share of people who deal and wheel in Crypto remained the same from 2021 to 2025.
That means we all have done a terrible job to make Crypto more aceptable.

On Bitcointalk there is the merit and trust system in place. Merit can be abused, bought or manipulated.

What do do to make Bitcoin, Crypto more popular?  

Well you threw in that rant about the merit system, but it seems to work fairly. If we park that and concentrate what you raised the topic for, what exactly have you contributed to the success of bitcoin between 2021 and 2025, since you seem so adamant that everyone else has let it down?

The price of BTC has cero to do with acceptance.
What have I done for BTC? I've tried to pas on BTC several times, 60% were Fraud attempts.
I favor another coin. But i'm Lucky in the sense that I don't have to worry about high valued coins on any device, on chain or elsewhere.

That means we all have done a terrible job to make Crypto more aceptable.

That referred to the erticle where you can read that:
Majority of Americans aren’t confident in the safety and reliability of cryptocurrency

And here you see that

Overall, 17% of U.S. adults say they have ever invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency. This share is statistically unchanged since 2021.

The same 17% stay here as the people who have invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency.  That means all efforts, yours, mine, everyone else has been futile. All of our efforts.

[aoluain]

What do do to make Bitcoin, Crypto more popular?

  

Not everyone has the compulsion to go spreading the news about Bitcoin or trying
to attract new people. Its not a requirement from being a Bitcoiner. There are plenty
of other avenues which people can get introduced to Bitcoin so its not up to someone
who might own BTC0.01 to try and introduce as many other people as they can.

Its clear that adoption is growing, we are getting new ATH's, the market isnt stagnant
or even declining over time, its rising constantly!

I dont have the expectation that EVERYONE in the world should be using Bitcoin,
I dont have the expectation that in the next couple of years I should be able to buy a
coffee at my corner shop with Bitcoin and I dont understand why people expect all
these things or that adoption isnt going fast enough.

[WillyAp]

What do do to make Bitcoin, Crypto more popular?

Its clear that adoption is growing, we are getting new ATH's, the market isnt stagnant
or even declining over time, its rising constantly!

The Article I set here in the opening post stated:
Overall, 17% of U.S. adults say they have ever invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency. This share is statistically unchanged since 2021.

Where do you get your info from?

ATH is not a measure for acceptance.

[tygeade]

Bitcoin does its own marketing, there is no need to do marketing for it. On top of that, we have grown to max we can with marketing, because we can't make new people know about it. Ten years ago or more, we had people who did not know what bitcoin was, and there were more and more people learning what it is. Today, everyone knows what bitcoin is, which means they are aware what they are getting into. This is why I think it's quite clear that we are not going to get people who will end up with new information.

So now, we are not going to grow because more people hears about it, that's done, everyone already heard about it, now if we do go up that should be due to some hype or bull run, nothing more. It is more about more money going in with same amount of people.

[WillyAp]

Bitcoin does its own marketing, there is no need to do marketing for it.

vs:

This share is statistically unchanged since 2021.

Do you see the spread? It does not need marketing. Similar to Litecoin the litecoin foundation has a similar approach.
Stagnation is failure. Or for some its a sign of success.

[yslyv]

Why do you think Bitcoin is a business? For example, you can describe mining as a business or trading as a business but Bitcoin itself is not a business or a job. it is a decentralized asset working on blockchain.

[Joy_learns_crypto]

That's the thing. Bitcoin is not a business. It doesn't require your trust as it is completely decentralized.

Beg your pardon, dishing out a few $ ok but committing several thousands does not requiere trust, just because bitcoin cannot be blamed?
Bitcoin is much more than business for great many people.

Committing several thousand dollars to who, if you buy several thousand dollars of bitcoin you are committing it to yourself because it is coming to your wallet and if you are sending to someone then it is going to that person’s wallet.
And what part of bitcoin is a business to you? It can be a business to you and you can tell us how it is a business but bitcoin is not business at all first glance but can be used as a business.

[Toro iskandar]

That's the thing. Bitcoin is not a business. It doesn't require your trust as it is completely decentralized.

Beg your pardon, dishing out a few $ ok but committing several thousands does not requiere trust, just because bitcoin cannot be blamed?
Bitcoin is much more than business for great many people.

As mindtrust stated, Bitcoin is decentralized, not a business, and without a CEO.
The proof is that many people invest thousands of dollars in Bitcoin, even though the price sometimes drops, but that's not to blame, as that's the cycle.
People don't consider it a business, but a long-term investment

If the ATH is created by the trust of people, why then Bitcoin failed to maintain its trend?  And as we look at the history, after recording the new ATH Bitcoin market tend to crash or enter bearish momentum, where the price of BTC, according to the price history, makes 60% to 70%  price crash.

In my opinion, the price drop you mentioned doesn't mean people no longer believe in maintaining the trend, but rather that's the price cycle: when a bullish market comes, a bearish market follows.
Now, let's see how Bitcoin has remained strong to this day without dropping below $1,000, which means many people still hold it and believe it will rise again in the future

[aoluain]

What do do to make Bitcoin, Crypto more popular?

Its clear that adoption is growing, we are getting new ATH's, the market isnt stagnant
or even declining over time, its rising constantly!

The Article I set here in the opening post stated:
Overall, 17% of U.S. adults say they have ever invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency. This share is statistically unchanged since 2021.

Where do you get your info from?

ATH is not a measure for acceptance.

In Europe there is a widening acceptance of Bitcoin and Crypto.

Between July 2023 and June 2025, the European region demonstrated remarkable growth and resilience. Transaction volumes followed a distinctive pattern: after experiencing a decline in mid-to-late 2024, the market staged a robust recovery, reaching a peak of $234 billion in December. This momentum carried into early 2025 and the overall performance underscores Europe’s position as a mature crypto market, characterized by strong institutional presence and widespread retail adoption across its diverse member states.

https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/europe-crypto-adoption-2025/

[WillyAp]

In Europe there is a widening acceptance of Bitcoin and Crypto.

https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/europe-crypto-adoption-2025/

Most likely they (cryptoanalysis) tied Russia into the accepting slot:

[Emitdama]

Committing several thousand dollars to who, if you buy several thousand dollars of bitcoin you are committing it to yourself because it is coming to your wallet and if you are sending to someone then it is going to that person’s wallet.
And what part of bitcoin is a business to you? It can be a business to you and you can tell us how it is a business but bitcoin is not business at all first glance but can be used as a business.

I'm wondering how bitcoins can be used as a business? Maybe it can be integrated in our business but that will still just make it as a payment method and nothing else.

Yes, we can build a business around blockchain but that does not mean we can do the same around bitcoins. Bitcoins are already established and there can be no change in it's functionality now. I strongly agree with you that bitcoins is not a business and can never be. Maybe OP stated it as a business because he might consider all financial ways or earning as a business and categorized bitcoins under it.

I would like to correct your sentence here - bitcoins can not be used as a business but can be used in a business.

[d5000]

I think these 17% are probably close to the ceiling to people who are willing to engage with a highly speculative and risky asset like Bitcoin. Perhaps it can be increased to 20 or even 25%, but not more than that.
There are countries where there is still growth potential, for example I remember for Europe the numbers are a bit lower, more in the 5 to 10% area.

And I think it's probably accurate that at least in the US the number of users hasn't grown significantly since the pandemics, and the 2024/25 ATHs are mostly consequence of institutional investment.

There may be sub-groups of these 17-25%. Those that can afford long term hodling are more from the First world middle class upwards. But there are for sure also people with more of a "gambling" mentality, who simply invest $100 or $500 to try to ride a bullish wave for a cycle. Just like they would invest in penny stocks or even a lottery ticket or casino. That's at least quite popular also in the middle class of emerging countries (South America).

The essence to expand from these 17-25% into more groups would be to increase Bitcoin's use cases. Perhaps it doesn't need a full fledged currency instantly, but a reliable store of value like gold would already make Bitcoin more attractive to more user groups.

And here comes into play what I'm always writing here: volatility must go down further, above all the downside volatility. We didn't really make progress in the bear markets up to 2022.

Once that happens and Bitcoin is perceived as less risky a virtuous cycle could emerge. But how to enter it?

1) Natural evolution - volatility is already lowering.
2) Institutional investment.
3) People need to panic less. This could be a consequence of the quite stable long term upward trend. Perhaps in the coming bear people sell less because many hope that if they hodl some years more they will again seeing better profits.
4) Perhaps some products based on moving averages (e.g. a SMA 1000 which basically only moves upwards) could help.
5) Also scalability improvements (Lightning, Ark etc.) could increase the usage of Bitcoin as a currency and thus add an use case. Merchants should love Bitcoin once it's more stable because there is no chargeback risk and no credit card fees ...

So in general I'm optimistic that the "17% ceiling" can be broken but there's still work to do.