Bitcoin is too complex for the average person

[medUSA]

Owning bitcoin is not complex. Spending and protecting them takes time to learn.

I truly believe bitcoin is too complex for the average shopper right now. We need a secure contact-less medium, similar to a credit card, to bring high street shoppers interested in bitcoin. Changing people's daily habits is difficult. I am fine with bitcoin staying off the high streets and focus on cross-border "internet" payment system. This is the real strength of bitcoin.

Security is a major concern with owning bitcoins. Fortunately, we are starting to see a fall in hardware wallet prices. When hardware wallets become common, newbie bitcoin users can secure their coins easily at a low cost. Having the most complex part taken care of, bitcoin should be simple enough for the average.

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[Hamuki]

More people need to learn about what BTC is instead of just being told to start using it.

[Twipple]

More people need to learn about what BTC is instead of just being told to start using it.

Thats true , but thats isn't essential. Using it and knowing how to use it is enough too.

[Swordsoffreedom]

Anyone ever got the feeling that Bitcoin is too complex for the average person? The average person wants things as simple as possible, so when the word, Blockchain, Decentralization, etc, come into play, I feel that makes it too complicated for the average person to understand or even care.

Give it time, but to get to true mass adoption it is an issue that needs to be solved
Making it as easy as swiping a visa using your phone and loading money in and out without issue is the ideal
Still a ways away from doing that securely quickly and cheaply (Aka getting everyone to use it and scaling down costs)
But we are progressing to it just need more terminals like Stripe or Square

[bryant.coleman]

More people need to learn about what BTC is instead of just being told to start using it.

Only when they hear about the benefits of Bitcoin, such as anonymity and protection against inflation, they will start using it. So we still need to popularize it.

[redsn0w]

More people need to learn about what BTC is instead of just being told to start using it.

Yes this is obvious, but there are a lot of people that have never used a smartphone or "surfed" in the web and also there are some people never used a credit card or debit card.

[Jace]

Anyone ever got the feeling that Bitcoin is too complex for the average person? The average person wants things as simple as possible, so when the word, Blockchain, Decentralization, etc, come into play, I feel that makes it too complicated for the average person to understand or even care.

As if the average person has even the remotest clue of how current monetary systems work. They even believe they have actual euros or dollars on their bank accounts.

The technicalities don't matter. It's just about creating a user-friendly, newbie-proof, non-technical software environment and ecosystem around it. Today's mobile wallets (especially bread wallet and mycelium) are already MUCH more accessible to the Average Joe than the Bitcoin-Core client (or any desktop client for that matter).

We're getting there, these processes just take time.

[SargeR33]

There are a huge number of people I know(work, family, what ever) who are still frightened by things like email and purchasing online. If I introduce Bitcoin to these people, their minds would implode. Even SIMPLY. These are the kind of people who will like the idea of Bitcoin but make some stupid mistake(store large sums online, accidentally send to wrong address, fall for scam) and forever be turned away.

[nextgencoin]

Once people even learn how to use Bitcoin, I bet 99% would just say it's easier to use paypal. The problem is not just Bitcoin but the whole money system. Why do you think they call money printing Quantative easing?
 I've tried to tell people on FB that private banks under control of the FED are literally making money out of thin air but absolutely no one cares or believes me. Our system is almost so crazy that it's unbelievable, like they say if your going to lie then lie big. Imagine a news report came out that some guy got caught making fake bank accounts wih billions of dollars, people would be pretty quick to say he should be stopped and arrested. People can't understand things as they are now, they only understand things from a mainstream perspective they have been programmed to get.


Only one way people are going to get it is a currency collapse. I'm sorry to say it but people deserve to suffer one due to their apathy and ignorance. People need to be woken up to what is being done in their name to to them, and that includes tons of illegal wars made possible by monopoly money printing and that theft of money from the lower classes to fuel the political class.

[nextgencoin]

There are a huge number of people I know(work, family, what ever) who are still frightened by things like email and purchasing online. If I introduce Bitcoin to these people, their minds would implode. Even SIMPLY. These are the kind of people who will like the idea of Bitcoin but make some stupid mistake(store large sums online, accidentally send to wrong address, fall for scam) and forever be turned away.

I'm doing some online banking now and it sucks balls and involves many stupid steps and hassle. I'm not sure once bitcoin gets more and more easy the technical side will block most people. I think maybe people need hand holding later though and we might have some very user for some services and even 'banks' in the tradition way but based at least partially on crypto. I can easily see in a few years some progressive banks offering to help set up a abitcoin account that is used though a wallet with all the logos of the bank you bank with and loads of help menus and helplines etc. People will need handholding and possibly insurance if they make a wrong payment of maybe wallets that have in built blocks for large amounts that need bank authorisation and checking etc,

IF someone really wants to create a kind of centralised Bitcoin bank that handholds people like traditional banks their is a lot of money to be made I think. People would be running to you in a currency crisis.

[Q7]

No, to clarify the statement... it's too complex if you are illiterate or are totally lost when it comes to computing or technology. I presume it won't be harder than using an ATM machine to withdraw money. In fact, when the first ATM paper money machine came out, everybody also has that kind of reserved feeling about how to go about using it and  instead prefer to withdraw money from over the bank counter. All the terms and jargon shouldn't be too complicated, once you got hold of the basic understanding.

[Balls]

Owning bitcoin is not complex. Spending and protecting them takes time to learn.

I don't think it's that difficult. If people can online bank then they should be able to use blockchain.info.

I truly believe bitcoin is too complex for the average shopper right now. We need a secure contact-less medium, similar to a credit card, to bring high street shoppers interested in bitcoin. Changing people's daily habits is difficult. I am fine with bitcoin staying off the high streets and focus on cross-border "internet" payment system. This is the real strength of bitcoin.

What makes you think these things wont come? I'm sure there will be all sorts of wallet apps to do things like contactless payments and have advanced security features (finger print scanning etc).

[Beliathon]

You know what else is too complex for the average person? HTTP.

Did that stop the internet from blowing up after layers were built on top of HTTP?

[ChuckBuck]

I agree with the OP.  Bitcoin is too complex for the average person.

If you were to explain Bitcoin to the average person on the street, or an older family member, or someone not as computer literate as you, there eyes would probably glaze over and it would immediately go over their head.

Once we Bitcoin as easy to use as sending an email, swiping a credit card, or just tapping a sensor using NFC like Apple Pay, then we may get the average person using it.

[QuestionAuthority]

TCP/IP is too complex for the average person but their browser uses it just fine to let them post photos of their cat on facebook.

LOL - Complex technology is a sin for some religious people and they should ignore it but they figured out how to post a blog preaching that technology is a sin even though they don't support learning about technology.

"technology is also one of the chief means by which humans attempt to create a world without God. As our technology grows more and more powerful, the illusion of control becomes increasingly more convincing."

[MakingMoneyHoney]

Owning bitcoin is not complex. Spending and protecting them takes time to learn.

I don't think it's that difficult. If people can online bank then they should be able to use blockchain.info.

I truly believe bitcoin is too complex for the average shopper right now. We need a secure contact-less medium, similar to a credit card, to bring high street shoppers interested in bitcoin. Changing people's daily habits is difficult. I am fine with bitcoin staying off the high streets and focus on cross-border "internet" payment system. This is the real strength of bitcoin.

What makes you think these things wont come? I'm sure there will be all sorts of wallet apps to do things like contactless payments and have advanced security features (finger print scanning etc).

Blockchain.info has a problem. New people hear of the blockchain and they think Blockchain.info is THE site to go to. (Doesn't help how much it was featured on CNN's Inside Man episode).

Blockchain.info was hacked. It's not that safe, but if Bitcoin became mainstream tomorrow, Blockchain.info would have a TON of new wallets created. Think of that, while reading this: http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/2ohnb8/how_i_lost_15_btc_on_blockchaininfo_without_my/

Blockchain.info will look like it's the best online wallet for a newcomer, but it has many problems, and should not be suggested to those new to Bitcoin to put all of their money into it.

[redsn0w]

Owning bitcoin is not complex. Spending and protecting them takes time to learn.

I don't think it's that difficult. If people can online bank then they should be able to use blockchain.info.

I truly believe bitcoin is too complex for the average shopper right now. We need a secure contact-less medium, similar to a credit card, to bring high street shoppers interested in bitcoin. Changing people's daily habits is difficult. I am fine with bitcoin staying off the high streets and focus on cross-border "internet" payment system. This is the real strength of bitcoin.

What makes you think these things wont come? I'm sure there will be all sorts of wallet apps to do things like contactless payments and have advanced security features (finger print scanning etc).

Blockchain.info has a problem. New people here of the blockchain and they think Blockchain.info is THE site to go to. (Doesn't help how much it was featured on CNN's Inside Man episode).

Blockchain.info was hacked. It's not that safe, but if Bitcoin became mainstream tomorrow, Blockchain.info would have a TON of new wallets created. Think of that, while reading this: http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/2ohnb8/how_i_lost_15_btc_on_blockchaininfo_without_my/

Blockchain.info will look like it's the best online wallet for a newcomer, but it has many problems, and should not be suggested to those new to Bitcoin to put all of their money into it.

The best online wallet is greenAddress (multisig + 2FA). However you know it doesn't exist the 100% of security, but I agree with you because blockchain.info isn't secure and the proves exist ( a lot of hacks related to the site, the famous RNG value).

[MakingMoneyHoney]

Owning bitcoin is not complex. Spending and protecting them takes time to learn.

I don't think it's that difficult. If people can online bank then they should be able to use blockchain.info.

I truly believe bitcoin is too complex for the average shopper right now. We need a secure contact-less medium, similar to a credit card, to bring high street shoppers interested in bitcoin. Changing people's daily habits is difficult. I am fine with bitcoin staying off the high streets and focus on cross-border "internet" payment system. This is the real strength of bitcoin.

What makes you think these things wont come? I'm sure there will be all sorts of wallet apps to do things like contactless payments and have advanced security features (finger print scanning etc).

Blockchain.info has a problem. New people here of the blockchain and they think Blockchain.info is THE site to go to. (Doesn't help how much it was featured on CNN's Inside Man episode).

Blockchain.info was hacked. It's not that safe, but if Bitcoin became mainstream tomorrow, Blockchain.info would have a TON of new wallets created. Think of that, while reading this: http://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/2ohnb8/how_i_lost_15_btc_on_blockchaininfo_without_my/

Blockchain.info will look like it's the best online wallet for a newcomer, but it has many problems, and should not be suggested to those new to Bitcoin to put all of their money into it.

The best online wallet is greenAddress (multisig + 2FA). However you know it doesn't exist the 100% of security, but I agree with you because blockchain.info isn't secure and the proves exist ( a lot of hacks related to the site, the famous RNG value).

I know, my point is newcomers are going to hear of the blockchain, and will go to blockchain.info thinking it's the official wallet. I don't know how we, as a community, can stop that from happening....

[Daniel91]

First you will need to give definition of average person.
Who is average Joe?
40 or 50 years old, married, playing games on Internet and sending emails?
For such average Joe I don't see any problem to understand the concept of BTC and start using it.
I would rather say that average persons never heard about BTC or if they hear about it, they don't see the reasons to use it.
In my opinion, this is the real issue with BTC.

[Lauda]

First you will need to give definition of average person.
Who is average Joe?
40 or 50 years old, married, playing games on Internet and sending emails?
For such average Joe I don't see any problem to understand the concept of BTC and start using it.
I would rather say that average persons never heard about BTC or if they hear about it, they don't see the reasons to use it.
In my opinion, this is the real issue with BTC.

The terms average Joe, ordinary Joe, Joe Sixpack and ordinary, average, or plain Jane, are used primarily in North America to refer to a completely average person, typically an average American.

The age doesn't matter at all. You obviously do not understand the term. The average Joe has trouble taking screenshots on a computer, how do you expect them to understand BTC?
I'm pretty sure the majority (or a good part) of BTC users understand it superficially anyways.