Bitcoin isn't that Complex after all.

[Felicity_Tide]

I have always tried to imagine what a beginner or someone who isn't familiar with Bitcoin thinks about it. Don't we think it's worth questioning why people just choose not to show interest in certain things despite how massive they can be?.

I have tried to study people's reaction and response when they hear about Bitcoin, and from observations, their response somehow has to do with complexity, and complexity can only be as a result of what you don't understand no matter how simple it is. And until you managed to understand that thing, is still remains a complex challenge.

Now the question I asked myself is, where is this complexity tied to exactly?, is it the monetary aspect or the technology itself?.

I realized the only way to answer this question is to simply try to remember how I got to understand Bitcoin and what I was able to understand exactly. To me, it's monetary aspect was very easy to process, and some basic part of it as a Technology was also there to brush up my own way of understanding Bitcoin. For others, it might differs, but the end goal is still to understand Bitcoin in our own ways.

Personally, I feel Bitcoin isn't that complex after all. what matters as a beginner is what info we are exposed to, and what we end up growing with while still evolving round the space. Sure, there are some things we call technicalities, but I don't think they are actual criterias for beginners.

So, if I may ask a general question, what exactly do you understand about Bitcoin and you satisfied with what you already know?.

[Ambatman]

It's now more of a stereotype by majority that only the tech savvy knows how to use Bitcoin
Since it's well, digital.
And not to mention people thinking they know what money is and Bitcoin not looking like the Fiat they used to.

what exactly do you understand about Bitcoin and you satisfied with what you already know?.

learning is a continuous process. I believe I can do better.
Once we stop learning. We stop growing.
And what I understand? Nothing much just the basics I suppose.

[Amphenomenon]

Now the question I asked myself is, where is this complexity tied to exactly?, is it the monetary aspect or the technology itself?.

Both can be complex, one thing that removes the complexity or should I say makes one open to learning/knowing this, is their openness to this Technology [Blockchain], it's not a ponzi scheme, pump & dump scheme or any thing that is common with many altcoin.

Accepting there are digital currency like your fiat currency or maybe considering it as a stock, makes one opened already to learn more. The economical and technological factor complexity vary with individuals base on discussion I have had with others.

So, if I may ask a general question, what exactly do you understand about Bitcoin and you satisfied with what you already know?.

I'm still learning and the area I do love to learn more about with my own current knowledge, I will say still scraping the basic, which is the math and science about Bitcoin. Although, in other common areas I can say, I know more than the basic [ I know more than the average joe].

[Apocollapse]

Nah, Bitcoin is complex.

In order to make someone able to trust something, they have to know the reason why they can trust it, which is the technical. Once you understand the technical, you will trust in Bitcoin, if not you're getting harder to trust Bitcoin.

I know we don't have to know everything in order to buy Bitcoin, but people have to know the reason why they buy Bitcoin other than the financial purpose.

[ColdLava40]

So, if I may ask a general question, what exactly do you understand about Bitcoin and you satisfied with what you already know?.

No man is an island of knowledge, we learn every single day. it now depends on if you are willing to open your mind to the knowledge that's made available to you. When people learn about bitcoin, at first what draws their attention is the aspect of ROI.

They are willing to do what ever it takes to understand how it's works. Sometimes they don't really bother much about the technicalities behind bitcoin. For a regular investor, it doesn't actually matter but if you want to, then you can. The knowledge is freely given.

[OcTradism]

So, if I may ask a general question, what exactly do you understand about Bitcoin and you satisfied with what you already know?.

As a Bitcoin investor, I satisfy with my knowledge about Bitcoin that is enough for my practice from Bitcoin storage to investment, holding, and broadcasting my Bitcoin transactions.

It's very clearly that as investors, people don't have to understand or master about Bitcoin technically like Bitcoin developers. They can learn more technical things if they want, have time and have dedication for learning, but if they can not learn these things, it won't harm their investment journey at all.

These following topics are enough.
How is the 21 million Bitcoin cap defined and enforced?
Can Bitcoin's hard cap of 21 million be changed?
Controlled supply.
Equivalent Network Time.
The bullish case for Bitcoin.

[un_rank]

Bitcoin is a complex technology, a uniquely complex one which is designed to operate in a simple way that everyone can use and understand. Just as we can all use the internet without having to understand what 'https' means, we can do the same with bitcoin.

...if I may ask a general question, what exactly do you understand about Bitcoin and you satisfied with what you already know?.

This is a very general question and this forum being bitcoin focused is not the best place to ask it. Many of the users here are very familiar with how bitcoin works on a basic level, what you will need to understand the mechanism and be able to store your funds safely, then we will have some who have deeper technical knowledge of the network. Your survey should be done on those just being introduced to bitcoin who do not yet understand the basics of it.

- Jay -

[Alpha Marine]

I have always tried to imagine what a beginner or someone who isn't familiar with Bitcoin thinks about it. Don't we think it's worth questioning why people just choose not to show interest in certain things despite how massive they can be?.

They don't have a curious mind, and their brain has been unknowingly trained to avoid complex problems. They subconsciously avoid anything that is outside their comfort zone without even giving it a try. This is why it is easy for people like that to attribute every "difficult to explain" phenomenon to a supreme being (God/Gods). If you ask people like that, why do objects fall when they're thrown up, they'll tell you, "It's gravity" If you go further to ask, "Why is there gravity?", they will tell you, "God made it so". Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have an issue with a person not knowing a thing; my issue is the attitude they have with not knowing. A curious person will tell you he doesn't know, but he will know that there is a scientific explanation behind gravity, and that will push him to want to know what it is, After all, it is information that can be read and understood in less than 10 minutes.

I may have digressed a bit, but in my opinion, this is why people who have the opportunity to learn about bitcoin don't show any interest in it. Their brains have become lazy to complex problems, so they subcontiously feel uninterested about it.

Bitcoin, unlike gravity is even more complex. You can know the basic of gravity in under 10 minutes, the same cannot be said about bitcoin. Almost every explanation leads to another question.
For example, imagine a scenario where you're trying to explain bitcoin to a person who has just being hearing bitcoin without knowing what it means, the moment you say something like "Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency", he will stop you and ask "what is cryptocurrency". In your explanation of cryptocurrency, you might mention "decentralized systems/blockchain" and then the next question will be "what is blockchain?"
That is why it can only be known by people who actually want to know about it. So people who don't have a curious mind or people whose brains don't like complex problems won't bother about it till they make a contious effort to.

[Sticky Bomb]

Now the question I asked myself is, where is this complexity tied to exactly?, is it the monetary aspect or the technology itself?.

Bitcoin in itself is complicated both in monetary aspect, technical aspect and often neglected psychological aspect.

Technical complexities based on the fact that Bitcoin is built on cryptography, distributed systems, peer to peer network, e.t.c. It becomes complicated to fully understand things like mining, Blockchain, hashing and digital signatures, UTXO, cryptography,  BIP, OP_return among other technical standpoints of Bitcoin

Economically/monetary complexities   based on the fact that Bitcoin redefines how people think about and understand money against the system they have been exposed to for a better part of their lives and try to understand stuffs like limited supply as against unlimited and inflationary Fiat system, store of value as against normal medium of exchange,  Digital scarcity, sound money  e.t.c

Psychological complexities  Bitcoin requires a different mentality about value, trust, risk and ownership and you've to deal with stuffs like FOMO, volatility and fear of losing your investment, transferring trust from institution to code, talking responsibility of self ownership of funds e.t.c

So, if I may ask a general question, what exactly do you understand about Bitcoin and you satisfied with what you already know?.

Satisfied? NO, Bitcoin is a continuous study subject and the more I study it, the more it seems I have learned nothing, so learning Bitcoin and learning virtually anything is a continuous process.

[amihada]

Nah, Bitcoin is complex.

In order to make someone able to trust something, they have to know the reason why they can trust it, which is the technical. Once you understand the technical, you will trust in Bitcoin, if not you're getting harder to trust Bitcoin.

I know we don't have to know everything in order to buy Bitcoin, but people have to know the reason why they buy Bitcoin other than the financial purpose.

To build trust, it is necessary to understand the technical reasons behind Bitcoin, when you understand how Bitcoin works, trust will grow by itself to be more confident in using Bitcoin and investing in it. Additionally, understanding the technical reasons can help investors who want to start investing in Bitcoin distinguish between genuine investments and fraudulent schemes or shady projects.

Yes, at least they should know that Bitcoin is not just a digital asset, but also a complex system that uses blockchain technology, cryptography, and has a constantly fluctuating buy/sell value to create a secure and decentralized network.

[lovesmayfamilis]

I don't think the OP wants to rewrite the entire forum into a single thread. OP, can you imagine what people might write here, based on their knowledge? So, I'd put it another way: there's always an explanation for everyone that they find very clear. Based on their interests, they can advance their knowledge, from using Bitcoin for transactions to technology, mining, and anything else that seems more complex to most. In other words, from simple to complex. The great thing about the forum is that for every person seeking knowledge and explanations on the issues that concern them, there's always someone who can explain them in detail. I'll give JJG as an example; he can explain everything patiently and thoroughly, day after day.

[Nathrixxx]

Right from the start, many thought about bitcoin so complex in such a way that they can't understand how to cope in using it, since everything about it involves the use of digital technologies, but later, some already discovered that they only needs to be interested in learning it as the requirements to acquire knowledge about bitcoin is very affordable, provided we certainly have the intention to learning it, this cannot be difficult to achieve.

[khaled0111]

It’s the technical part that I believe beginners find it hard to understand. I remember when a friend of mine first introduced me to bitcoin, back then people were more into mining, so when he tried to explain bitcoin to me, he focused mistly on mining and how miners work. Although I had a good technical background, I really struggled to understand what he was saying.

So, if you want to introduce bitcoin to a beginner, focus on explaining what they are interested in and what information they might use or find useful in the future. In most cases, there’s no need to dive deep into the details and the technical aspects.

[Ishicryptic]

Bitcoin technicality is complex but the complexity don't have to concern a holder who is not tech savvy, anybody with a basic knowledge about internet can buy, hold and sell Bitcoin. When a newbie hears that Bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency they think that somebody must know how to navigate through technicalities before they can get into it. People don't remember that as they don't need to understand the technical and complex technology of their computers, phones and cars that it's same way they don't need necessarily understand the complexities of Bitcoin before holding it. I think that some people are lazy to make research and that is why they are still denying themselves the opportunity of buying Bitcoin now that it's still within $100k range.

[mu_enrico]

It's easy to say Bitcoin is not complex if you only know the surface and do not dig into its underlying math. People call this the Dunning-Kruger effect. Learning how to use a wallet, how BTC works, and how to send and receive coins is not complex, but understanding the cryptography, Merkle tree, UTXO, and so on, until you can program and be considered a Bitcoin developer or scholar, is an entirely different world.

But the beautiful thing is that you do not have to know all that if you want to use Bitcoin and participate in the Bitcoin economy.

[Felicity_Tide]

So, I'd put it another way: there's always an explanation for everyone that they find very clear. Based on their interests, they can advance their knowledge, from using Bitcoin for transactions to technology, mining, and anything else that seems more complex to most.

I guess I didn't put it well, but that was exactly what I was trying to say.
You know, the world population is about 8 billion which of course, I don't expect the entire population to have the same definition about something, and I think the same case lies with Bitcoin. Now, assuming a survey was conducted on the forum asking every single person what they understood about Bitcoin, I still don't expect to get the same explanation, which makes your point very clear. We all have our own explanation that can help us to confidently say.. "Okay, I know Bitcoin".

~snip
But the beautiful thing is that you do not have to know all that if you want to use Bitcoin and participate in the Bitcoin economy.

So, in other words, does this actually removes a basic level of complexity which makes someone with a basic knowledge entirely different from others who sees it as a big deal?.

[Findingnemo]

What bitcoin is to me has evolved over the period of time over these years.

At first, I just saw it as an asset, a tool that we can simply buy and after years you will be rich which even took years for me to understand. And then I started to see bitcoin as a tool to fight against inflation, and it is really a tool that we have to fight the centralized monetary system.

Let me tell you bitcoin isn't complex for the people to understand but they can't accept it because it is entirely different one from what we have been using in our entire life.

[Die_empty]

If one is just concerned about using Bitcoin as a currency or an asset, it's not complex. Such an individual just needs to know basic concepts and how to apply them properly. We all know that other aspects of Bitcoin are complex to understand. A close look at the boards in Bitcointalk is an example of how complex some areas of Bitcoin are.

A friend of mine got a book on Bitcoin mining, and he told me that he didn't understand anything in it. He said it's filled with calculations. Human brain has the capacity of learning anything, with little effort the technical aspect of Bitcoin can be studied and understood.

[Japinat]

Bitcoin will only be seem complex to those who are completely newbies in the market, as well as to those who have not clearly understood the real utilization of bitcoin despite how long they have been watching the market or staying in the forum. However, for us here who have already seen the ups and downs of bitcoin, and how the government reacts to bitcoin, we have already passed that complex stage on how we have viewed bitcoin before.

Bitcoin is not complex, it only requires us to take more time studying the forum and understanding clearly the purpose of bitcoin.

[khaled0111]

If one is just concerned about using Bitcoin as a currency or an asset, it's not complex. Such an individual just needs to know basic concepts and how to apply them properly. We all know that other aspects of Bitcoin are complex to understand. A close look at the boards in Bitcointalk is an example of how complex some areas of Bitcoin are.

Exactly. All a regular bitcoin user who is only interested in buying/selling or sending/receiving bitcoin needs to know is what a bitcoin address is, the different types of wallets, how to keep their seed phrase/wallet file/private keys safe and how to set transaction fees properly depending on the network status. You don’t need to explain how miners work or how they choose which transactions to include in a block (just show them a good fee estimator like mempool.space).