Bitcoin is too complex for the average person

[yui]

I think the main two things that the average person needs to understand and that simplify things a lot in their head are:

1) The relashionship between private key and public bitcoin address.
Any random 256 bits, that is, 256 zeros and ones can be picked and the corresponding bitcoin address will be yours because everything you need to control a public bitcoin address is its private key.
2) Bitcoins only exist as virtual balances associated with a bitcoin address as a result of previous transactions related to that address that are recorded on a global ledger that is recorded and replicated in every computer node on the network.
What you need to keep and can copy to a USB, to a CD, or to a paper, or even email to yourself and friends is the private key.
To protect your private keys you need to encrypt your wallet.
Bitcoins are not created. They simply enter circulation given as a reward to those that secure the network "mining" the proof-of-work that garantees all transactions enter the global ledger in the correct order.

Understanding these things might be the hardest computer knowledge most people I've known would have mastered yet if they learn it. They wouldn't know how to copy something to CD and don't know what USB means.

[rokkyroad]

I don't discuss bitcoin or linux with the average person. Its not worth the hassle.

[marcus_of_augustus]

Fortunately, only half of the population is average or below ... for the rest of us, there is bitcoin.

[koelen3]

Fortunately, only half of the population is average or below ... for the rest of us, there is bitcoin.

I would say seeing the today's hype in science and technology , Op's average is less then half

[networthsigns]

Nope! that's not true!
It was complex once but now every average guy knows internet and google teaches it all easily

i remember when android was released, at that time everyone uses blackberry or symbian phone. no one understand what android offer, but then ppl start using android and even bbm was ported into android, and android got better games than symbian.

thats what will be needed for bitcoin to reach the masses.

What bitcoin really needs is the support, adoption and knowledge of the general public to it. As the given quotes stated above, Android was once an unknown technology introduced by Google and other companies but once it reached the masses, it was quickly understood and seen widespread use all around the world.

Yes! so the point here is more like that it will become more and more simple as more people start using it

[networthsigns]

Nope! that's not true!
It was complex once but now every average guy knows internet and google teaches it all easily

Said it all!
Today with google, everything becomes easy.

All hail google

[noobtrader]

Nope! that's not true!
It was complex once but now every average guy knows internet and google teaches it all easily

i remember when android was released, at that time everyone uses blackberry or symbian phone. no one understand what android offer, but then ppl start using android and even bbm was ported into android, and android got better games than symbian.

thats what will be needed for bitcoin to reach the masses.

What bitcoin really needs is the support, adoption and knowledge of the general public to it. As the given quotes stated above, Android was once an unknown technology introduced by Google and other companies but once it reached the masses, it was quickly understood and seen widespread use all around the world.

Yes! so the point here is more like that it will become more and more simple as more people start using it

and real world usage, like car/house lease which always connect to internet and when ppl send btc to the printed btc adress, then the car/house will be unlocked. also other thing like phone bill, utilities (phone/water/eletricity) they all can be made payable by bitcoin.
moving further maybe blockchain can be broadcasted by radio too ?

[BillyBobZorton]

Nope! that's not true!
It was complex once but now every average guy knows internet and google teaches it all easily

Said it all!
Today with google, everything becomes easy.

All hail google

Not google, youtube, people tend to learn better with video tutorials than reading.

[Cicero69]

This is true! Many of us are kinetics learners, which basically means we learn by doing! With bitcoin we must all go through the motions
of buying selling and using bitcoin to really grasp how to us it.

[RedhatCAT]

Fortunately, only half of the population is average or below ... for the rest of us, there is bitcoin.

Well in order to be able to properly secure bitcoin, you will need to posses significantly above average technical skills, as well the ability to anticipate potential future attacks (if there was a 'standard' security protocol to follow then potential attackers could try to poke holes in such security protocol and steal large amounts of money from lots of people). 

[KimNam]

yeah bitcoin is complex for new user, especially people who didn't quite understand about internet and technology
from my experience, i spent a lot time before understand how bitcoin works
and it's difficult to explain that to new user. many user afraid using bitcoin for transaction if they still didn't understand it

[OpenOcean]

Computers are too complex for average people, yet here we are using them.

People will innovate ways to make user adoption easier. They will be rewarded handsomely, and one day we'll wonder how we ever existed without it.

[erre]

Bitcoins are really simple, just download the app and start receiving and sending money!

Credit cards are way more complex, with plastic cards and pos readers and shitty modules and hidden commissions and cloning and so...

[Icardi09]

Bitcoins are really simple, just download the app and start receiving and sending money!

Credit cards are way more complex, with plastic cards and pos readers and shitty modules and hidden commissions and cloning and so...

agree with this one, credit card is more complex, yet many people using that for daily transaction
I hope many "average person" will try to understand bitcoin and using it for daily transaction in the future

[1Referee]

It's not that difficult at all. I provided a link to a family member to download the wallet.

And everything else was so easy (setting up, sending and receiving, etc) that he didn't ask me for help.

He had everything set up and was ready to go. He bought $50 worth of Bitcoin and got it instantly in his wallet.

It is a non tech person, if he can do it, then others can as well.

[erikalui]

It's definitely complex to understand for a common man as it is more like a virtual currency. For me, I took about 2-3 months to really find the use of bitcoins and now I have a lot more to learn about it.

[Denerivery]

Bitcoin isn't too complex. The only thing you absolutely  need to know to use Bitcoin is how to copy + paste and address, click on a bitcoin URI or scan a barcode. Most wallets now have a wizard that guides the user through creating the wallet password protecting it and backing it up.

[james1408]

Yes, I have feeling this.

It's not much easy for new users. I think it will take me a very long time to learn about BitCoin

[LordSonjai]

you have to adapt,times are changing.

[kilminukas]

Bitcoin is too complex for the average person

What? average person does not need to know anything about it besides that he can pay with it