There’s no doubt we’re living in vastly different times — some may see chaos where others see opportunity. With the collapse of inner cities and failure of local governments, people all over the world are using this time to make important decisions about their lives. People are relocating, changing careers, creating side businesses and startups, eating organic, storing food, and choosing to homeschool their children for the first time. People are holding cash, hard assets, investing in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Many are turning away from mainstream media and social media oligarchs as they are becoming seen as illegitimate and biased news sources.
People are naturally shifting away from the grip of centralized power structures — societies are beginning to decentralize.
This article is an introduction to a series of posts geared towards decentralizing the many different aspects of your life in order to become more independent and free, starting with Big Tech.
My previous article focused on Covid-19 and the affects on the food supply chain, with an emphasis on decentralizing from a select few corporate food providers for better preparedness. With the recent rise in value within precious metals and cryptocurrency markets, investors are seeking new opportunities to protect their money and retirement from the stock market, central banks, and hyperinflation. This is occurring in different markets across the globe. From healthcare to music, businesses are beginning to utilize the benefits of blockchain as a means of escaping the monopolies of Big Tech.
What is blockchain?
Described by BlockGeeks.com, “A blockchain is, in the simplest of terms, a time-stamped series of immutable records of data that is managed by a cluster of computers not owned by any single entity. Each of these blocks of data (i.e. block) is secured and bound to each other using cryptographic principles (i.e. chain).
The blockchain network has no central authority — it is the very definition of a democratized system. Since it is a shared and immutable ledger, the information in it is open for anyone and everyone to see. Hence, anything that is built on the blockchain is by its very nature transparent and everyone involved is accountable for their actions.”
With blockchain on the rise, the attack on free speech from Big Media, Big Pharma, Big Tech, and Big Government, decentralization has become an attractive concept in many adjacent areas of one’s life. It’s becoming more clear for many to explore a life of independence, or perhaps, a return to our roots.
The United States of America was founded on decentralized ideals
The U.S. was founded as a constitutional republic. Many people think the United States is a democracy — wrong, it’s actually a republic. While convoluted, it’s important to know the difference. Remember The Pledge of Allegiance? Originally written in 1892, it reads:
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
A constitutional republic was intended to be decentralized. When America was created, it inherently gave power to the states. In doing this, it allowed for more freedom and less centralized federal control. This also means that as an individual, you have the ability to move to another state if you prefer. If you don’t want state income tax, you have the freedom to move to another state that doesn’t require a state income tax.
Blockchain based platforms are an innovative shift of returning to an earlier moment in time where people’s every move wasn’t monitored and controlled by centralized entities, private or public. With blockchain, individuals and businesses own their encrypted data on decentralized networks and not “clouds” or other forms of blackbox data aggregates. Your information lives on the blockchain and not on a centralized server. The core properties of blockchain technology are decentralization, transparency, and immutability.
Further reading on the basics and benefits of blockchain & decentralization:
How to decentralize from Big Tech
The truth is, larger centralized products may be free to use, but you’re really paying with your personal data. Your data consists of websites you visit, the products you buy, who you talk to, what pictures you send, and what political party you’re likely to vote for. Your data is saved on centralized servers, which makes them more vulnerable for hackers to target.
Decentralization isn’t simple, as many people have become dependent on these centralized products. It requires letting go of products and services that make your life easy, with the long term gain of more security, freedom, privacy, and accountability.
With the rise of “cancel culture,” bias, and censorship, people have been looking for alternatives to social platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and others. With the explosive growth in blockchain technology, this has provided many different options for users to take control of their personal data while removing it from the hands of Big Tech.
Below is a list of notable products, services, and social communities (many built on blockchain) that advocate for privacy and free speech. If you’re interested in the idea of moving away from Big Tech, take your time to research and understand the benefits of these products and begin getting a feel for the value they provide.
- Brave browser — An advanced web browser aimed at giving you back power (and not the creepy advertisers). Brave provides faster speeds, better security and privacy by blocking trackers.
- Brave Firewall + VPN — Prevents unauthorized tracking and secures a user’s data throughout the user’s entire device.
- DuckDuckGo — A private search engine that blocks trackers over secure connections.
- Protonmail — Secure email based in Switzerland.
- OpenBazaar — A free online marketplace. Easily trade between peers without using a centralized platform. No platform fees. No restrictions. Earn cryptocurrency.
- Gab — A prominent social network that advocates for free speech
- Hive.io — Thriving ecosystem of apps, communities & individuals, leveraging the Hive blockchain & decentralized structure.
- Twetch — Empowers people to own their content, earn from it, and take it with them wherever they go.
- Lbry, Bitchute, D.Tube — Video sharing alternatives to YouTube & Vimeo
Many have described blockchain as “the new internet,” or Web 3.0. An internet that is peer-to-peer based and cuts out the middleman — a more free, more transparent, and open internet. While the financial industry is by far the earliest successful application of blockchain technology, agriculture, healthcare, file management, Internet-of-Things (IoT), supply chain, and others are quickly on the rise. The future looks quite promising to those willing to learn and transition to the rapidly approaching world of decentralization.