TRUST MACHINE: THE STORY OF BLOCKCHAIN: Ready For The Next Wave Of Internet?
Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain provides a comprehensive overview of how bitcoin works, as part of the blockchain technology, resulting in cryptocurrency and its possibilities: both good and evil. This documentary narrative thoroughly captures all the different perspectives of what it is, what it can do and how it will transform human interaction with the world.
What is Bitcoin and Blockchain Technology?
Technically, anyone can use his or her computer to create bitcoin or cryptocurrency. It is called “mining.” The blockchain technology is the “accounting system” that verifies, accounts and secures this cryptocurrency. It can also secure “contracts” or programmable software.
All information is stored into blocks of data that are linked on a peer-to-peer platform, where each data block is contingent on the other. It is the structural integrity of the blockchain technology that makes it so powerful. Understanding the technological discussions in this film may require the viewer to have some knowledge of how online technology works and the various layers involved (e.g. what is an ISP).
The Promise of Bitcoin and Blockchain Technology
Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain provides a balanced view of the positives and negatives of what blockchain technology can do to or for the world. Interestingly, it is the humanitarian organizations like UNICEF Ventures and World Food Program, who are creatively using blockchain technology to solve big problems that traditional money and politics have not been able fix.
This is where the film really captures the viewer’s attention or imagination as to how blockchain technology can help to innovate solutions for colossal problems that have not been solvable and change the world for the greater good. An immediate challenge to blockchain technology is that its exponential, computational energy requirements still need to be solved for it to work efficiently, as well as it is still in its early stage of evolution, similar to the Internet when it first arrived.
Conclusion: Trust Machine or Pandora’s Box- Let Your Imagination Decide
This film raises a new potential Wild West, the next wave of the Internet. Basically, blockchain technology is evolving to be the catalyst of a paradigm shift that could dramatically alter how people define, relate and transact with each other…but only if the viewer believes that it is can happen as narrated in the film. There are plenty of naysayers to the bitcoin and blockchain technology movement.
The filmmaker does make it clear that no one knows for sure what to expect. As John Gilmore points out in his interview in the film, “It is still an experiment in process.” What will your imagination likely to accept when you see the various possibilities in this film- steer you toward believing that blockchain technology can be used for the greater good or for the dark side? Or maybe you will think that it is a complete bubble, driven by herd effect. Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain is a ride worth taking and asking how will you imagine the world, build on it.
What would you want Blockchain technology to do for you? Let us know in the comments below!
Trust Machine: The Story of Blockchain was released in the US on Oct 26, 2018. The film will be available for worldwide viewers on SingularDTV digital platform in early 2019.
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