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Social media platforms such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Messenger, Reddit, Tweeter, Dark-web and more similar platforms, were critical part of Crypto currencies rapid growth over the years, because development, communication and operation, among, developers, investors and miners, all take place on social media.
Another factor that speed up crypto currencies growth is the development of quick news from social media influencers, from twitter, YouTube, Instagram and more aside from the mainstream media.
Crypto

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The article talks about the potential to create a new version of social media using the block chain technology that runs the various crypto currencies. One  potential feature of  Social Media 2.0 is decentralized content control; the plan, is to run the entire platform administration on blockchain, eliminating the need for central server, this feature will give control to the users, and the whole network will be responsible for keeping track and control, making the platform truly democratic.
Crypto based social media platform will ensure privacy and security of users, this feature is especially useful in countries with repressive Government with little to no freedom of expression, an example of a company working on a secure blockchain based messaging platform is Obsidian.
Cryptobased social media platform will improve payment protocols. Online payment transaction are especially costly because of fees and third party application involve, however with cryptobased social media platform users will be able to pay with native coins of the platform thus reducing potential fee and third party expenses.

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In her 1999 article titled " Fragmented Future", renowned IT architect consultant Darcy DiNucci introduced the world to the concept of Web 2.0. This new web architecture was based on user-generated content that would replace the then static nature of the Worldwide Web. It is important to note that her description of the framework differs significantly to what obtains today. The fact though is that Social Media came to be known as the advancement of web technology, in other words, Web 2.0. There are strong indications that Cryptocurrency may soon become the new Social Media.

When the internet first emerged, it was the pinnacle of distributed computing. It forever changed the face of information technology. Data could be transferred from and to multiple network nodes at breath-taking speed. At some point in the evolution of the web, the idea of user-generated content was developed and Web 2.0 was born. Within the framework of the Web2.0 architecture is Social Media with its many popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google among others. These platforms have changed the way we share information and communicate with one another.

In the few years since the emergence of Social Media, the digital phenomenon has attracted praise and criticism in almost equal amount. Social Media critics point to the many flaws in the system which undermine the fidelity of the information that is being shared. These issues have even been brought to the forefront in the wake of the alleged manipulation of the 2016 general elections in the United States.

With issues concerning privacy and trustworthiness at the core of the opposition to Social Media, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology have been identified as holding the key to a new and improved Social Media ecosystem.

Cryptocurrency and Social Media

A big part of the popularity of cryptocurrencies today can be attributed to the power of Social Media. With almost unlimited networking potential, stakeholders in the crypto market have been able to raise awareness for their offerings. No serious ICO marketing strategy today can leave out Social Media integration. Latest happening in the crypto world are usually trending topics on many of these Social Media platforms. On the flip side, Social Media platforms have also benefitted greatly from cryptocurrency and blockchain-based applications in general. With the never-ending nature of the conversation, these corporations are surely raking in significant revenue from all the activities on their platforms.

Up till now, one could say the relationship has been a symbiotic one; both benefiting from each other. However, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology may very well constitute a disruption to the mainstream Social Media construct. Cryptocurrency has also revolutionized many Business processes from payment processing to contract performance and many others. The blockchain delivers the possibility for almost unlimited potential in theoretically every business process known to man. Many of the core aspects of cryptocurrency operations of the face of it seem like the panacea to some of the nagging issues in the Social Media space.

Key Features of a Potential Crypto-based Social Media 2.0

· Decentralized Content Control

A crypto-based Social Media platform will be decentralized; there will be no central server and the entire platform will be run on a blockchain. This, therefore, returns control over the user-generated content from the hands of the platform administration, back to the originating user. The entire network will be responsible for monitoring and control, thereby making the platform truly democratic.

· Enhanced Security

The mainstream Social Media is notorious for being agents of State-sponsored spying on private citizens. A crypto-based Social Media has the potential to offer a robust security framework that ensures the privacy of users. This can be especially useful in countries under repressive Government with little or no freedom of expression. Obsidian, a secure blockchain-based messaging platform is a noteworthy example of a cryptocurrency start-up that is addressing this issue.

· Improved Payment Protocols

Despite the considerable level of economic activities that occur on a daily basis across all the Social Media platforms, the benefits are still restricted to a few players. The rising cost of advertising and content promotion makes it such that not many ordinary users can monetize their Social Media accounts. Online payment processing attracts hefty fees as well. With a cryptocurrency-based Social Media platform, users will be able to make payments easily using the native coin of that platform. Participants will also be able to create and execute smart contracts without the need for third party involvement. This last benefit has the potential to raise the stakes of digital networking even higher.

Final Words

These are just some of the potential improvements and benefits that can come as a result of the emergence of a crypto-powered Social Media 2.0. If there is one thing that has remained constant in this digital age, is that improvements and advancements are never far away. Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology continues to disrupt more and more areas every day. It isn't inconceivable to think that it has the power to drive the next phase of the social media revolution; one that is more decentralized.

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Cryptocurrency May Become Social Media 2.0 - Hacker Noon

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In her 1999 article titled " Fragmented Future", renowned IT architect consultant Darcy DiNucci introduced the world to the concept of Web 2.0. This new web architecture was based on user-generated content that would replace the then static nature of the Worldwide Web.

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The very first Bitcoin purchase on May 22, 2010 was over 2 pizzas that cost 10,000 Bitcoin (BTC), It was a big mile stone in Crypto currency. News of the purchase spread around Internet Relay Chat(IRC) and forums like Bitcointalk.org, today those 2 pizza would be worth $75 million BTC.

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Bitcoin has just hit all-time highs of $10,000.

Back in 2010, a developer bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins.

Today, those bitcoins are worth a whopping $100 million.

On May 22, 2010, a developer bought two pizzas using 10,000 units of a then-little-known digital currency called bitcoin.

Today, the price of a single bitcoin has hit $10,000 - making 10,000 of them worth a staggering $100 million (£75 million).

Bitcoin is going nuclear. Just a year ago, it was trading at less than $750, after deflating from what was then seen as the giddy highs of about $1,100 (£847) in late 2013. It has since embarked on an epic bull run.

"10k is a seminal moment for bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general," CryptoCompare CEO Charles Hayter said in an emailed statement, "highlighting the supernormal returns and speculative like nature of the industry as well as the potential and growing adoption."

The digital currency has come a long way since 2010, when the purchase of the two Papa John's pizzas by Laszlo Hanyecz from another bitcoin enthusiast marked what is believed to be the first "real-world" bitcoin transaction.

He posted on the Bitcoin Talk forum on May 22, 2010, writing (emphasis ours):

" I'll pay 10,000 bitcoins for a couple of pizzas.. like maybe 2 large ones so I have some left over for the next day. I like having left over pizza to nibble on later. You can make the pizza yourself and bring it to my house or order it for me from a delivery place, but what I'm aiming for is getting food delivered in exchange for bitcoins where I don't have to order or prepare it myself, kind of like ordering a 'breakfast platter' at a hotel or something, they just bring you something to eat and you're happy!

"I like things like onions, peppers, sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, pepperoni, etc.. just standard stuff no weird fish topping or anything like that. I also like regular cheese pizzas which may be cheaper to prepare or otherwise acquire.

"If you're interested please let me know and we can work out a deal."

Ten thousand coins were then worth about $40 (£30). A British user agreed to buy the pizza for him, and even at the time the buyer got a good deal out of it: The person paid only $25 (£19) for the two pizzas.

The date is now marked on an annual basis by bitcoin users in a lighthearted celebration known as "Bitcoin Pizza Day."

And today, 10,000 bitcoins add up to about $100 million (£75 million).

"It wasn't like Bitcoins had any value back then, so the idea of trading them for a pizza was incredibly cool," Hanyecz told The New York Times in 2013. "No one knew it was going to get so big."

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Someone in 2010 bought 2 pizzas with 10,000 bitcoins - which today would be worth $100 million

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Bitcoin has just hit all-time highs of $10,000. Back in 2010, a developer bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins. Today, those bitcoins are worth a whopping $100 million. On May 22, 2010, a developer bought two pizzas using 10,000 units of a then-little-known digital currency called bitcoin.

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Social media is creating a ripple effect and giving influencers and curator a platform to write contents, for example, Ivan on Tech,
YouTube Channel, Informs people on crypt currency.
Media coverage played a major roll in putting Crypto currency on the spot light, during initial stages of development and release, only a handfulf people were aware of its existence and were able to participte in its network, Not until bitcoin entered mainstream median and social media influencers that Crypto currency gain rapid popularity.

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Cryptocurrencies have actively made headlines in recent months due to the rise in popularity. As more people adopt new ways of transferring value, markets of all types are being disrupted. The adoption of blockchain technology and the innovative products built on top of it, namely digital assets or cryptocurrencies and similar value-exchange mechanisms, are gearing towards dramatically changing how we transact in our day-to-day life. Disrupting the entire financial industry is already a major effect of the rise of cryptocurrencies, but it is not the only industry that this phenomenon will affect.

A multitude of industries are being rewritten and new ones are being created every day. Cryptocurrencies are having a direct and indirect impact on people, organizations and countries all over the world. Take for instance Ivan Liljeqvist, a Software Developer from Stockholm, Sweden and founder of Ivan on Tech , a YouTube channel that informs users about cryptocurrencies and tries to breach the gap between the expert and the average user. Ivan produces videos explaining to the average user the advantages and disadvantages of certain cryptocurrencies and their underlying technology. Ivan's channel grew from 4,000 to over 100,000 subscribers in just a few months, a major increase (+2,500%) and an example of how the ripple effect of cryptocurrencies benefit not only those who hold the digital asset, but content creators as well. As a technology content creator focused on blockchain, cryptocurrencies and similar technologies, he is able to help those who want to take a part in the cryptocurrency phenomenon but simply do not know where to start. Ivan now travels all around the world speaking at conferences about the importance of understanding these disruptive technologies. Because of his channel's popularity, he is now exploring new verticals and coming up with new ways to help those wanting to understand all of the recent buzz.

Media coverage is one of the reasons why cryptocurrencies have reached their popularity. When Bitcoin was created in 2009, only those close to the project were able to participate in the network. Most people were not aware of its existence until it received media attention and information about this disruptive technology began to emerge. As the average user tuned in to learn all about Bitcoin from their preferred media outlet, we began to see an exponential increase in the value of Bitcoin, as people eager to be a part of this new technology began to join the network. New exchanges were created for people to trade their local currency for cryptocurrencies, and information began to spread on social media and the press. Today, the spotlight is on the incredible increase in the value of Bitcoin and related cryptocurrencies. Information both vilifying and praising these technologies make headlines around the world, and skeptics and lovers share their thoughts on social networks. Content creators need to be careful when releasing information about cryptocurrencies, as we have seen that these could have major effects on an already volatile market. Rightfully, information is crucial when it comes to breaching the gap between the expert and the average user trying to be a part of this global phenomenon.

Breaching the gap and helping people join this phenomenon is just the start. If cryptocurrencies are here to stay, we need to make sure everyone is able to participate. By having a healthy community around various cryptocurrencies, we can ensure that the future of these technologies is in the hands of the majority of the global population. Once everyone in the world is able to take advantage of these breakthroughs, we will see new businesses flourish and new opportunities arise - and we are already seeing that occur. Decentralized networks like the Bitcoin network can be used by people anywhere in the world to transact with one another, and decentralized applications can be built on top of Ethereum or EOS to allow for more scalable and independent products. It should not be a surprise that these technologies will have a major economic impact in developing countries, as they become the alternative to an otherwise polluted, expensive and inefficient system.

In Zimbabwe for instance, Bitcoin is trading at above average prices, as the demand for the digital currency is ever-increasing. It is also the case that decentralization is not always required. Ripple Labs for example, a company who claims to have the fastest and most scalable digital asset (XRP) has been under fire recently due to concerns that they control most of their digital asset. Although controversial, companies like Ripple are also set to change the world dramatically, as they allow for faster settlement across ledgers and connect financial institutions all over the world. This will mean that countries that would otherwise go through various expensive routes to send money across international borders will be able to trade at a lower cost and more efficiently. There is no "one size fits all" in cryptocurrencies, as the use cases of some cryptocurrencies benefit some users more than others, but the options are there for those who want to take advantage of them.

Cryptocurrencies are not only changing how we transact, but also how we store value for the long-term and conduct business. In the traditional sense, for example, people would have a bank account to store some of their money, and companies would offer cards for medical expenses and other types of accounts to save for retirement. This can all change as people move their assets to digital formats, and store them in distinct wallets distributed across multiple places. These changes are already seen in governments across the globe as countries explore ways to digitize their own currency. You may soon find that your parking meter no longer accepts physical coins, but digital tokens that you can purchase online. Small businesses may also choose to transact with cryptocurrencies, as they will be able to do this cheaply and fast. It is not far-fetched that we could see companies as large as Uber be replaced by decentralized autonomous organizations that run on smart contracts. Smart contracts can be programmed to perform many of the tasks traditional organizations perform, but more efficiently and open, and they use digital tokens to transact. These changes are not only limited to a specific type of organization or even a country, they can resonate all around the world, from a small tourism company giving tours of the Amazon River to the tech startup in Silicon Valley or Singapore. These changes to how traditional organizations and businesses operate is yet another of the ripple effects of cryptocurrencies.

Disruptive technologies such as blockchain and cryptocurrencies are able to rewrite our day-to-day life. The effect of cryptocurrencies is seen not only in the financial industry, but in various markets all across the world. Cryptocurrencies and related technologies can have direct and indirect effects on a personal, organizational and geographical level. Their effects can reach anyone, from content creators, to small companies in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, to entire countries. It is this wide spectrum of impact what powers new businesses and opportunities, the seemingly unlimited potential of how markets are being rewritten by these technologies. As more people realize their potential, and as new users are able to participate in the various networks, the ripple effect of cryptocurrencies will reach every corner of the world.

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A FINANCIAL ADVISOR, PLEASE CONSULT A FINANCIAL ADVISOR BEFORE INVESTING IN ANY CRYPTOCURRENCY. I HAVE NO AFFILIATION WITH ANY OF THE COMPANIES MENTIONED HEREIN. FOR TRANSPARENCY, I HAVE INVESTMENTS IN BITCOIN, RIPPLE, ETHEREUM AND OTHER "ALT" COINS.

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Cryptocurrencies have made headlines in recent months. As more people adopt new ways of transferring value, markets of all types are being disrupted. The adoption of blockchain technology and the innovative products built on top of it are dramatically changing how we transact in our day-to-day life.

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Over the years more and more companies are accepting Crypto currency payment, mainly bitcoin. Involvement of major service providers and retailer influence other companies to participate. The following major retailers and service provides accept bitcoin payment; Overstock, Expedia, Microsoft and even Tesla Model 3 for 2.413612 BTC.

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Got bitcoins to spend? Quite a few big sites have already begun to integrate payment options for Bitcoin. So, you're in luck if you've been holding onto yours for a while now either privately or in an exchange such as Coinbase and feel ready to use them to make a purchase.

If you're wondering where to start, look no further than the following top websites that are now accepting Bitcoin as payment for their goods and services. By the way, more and more brick-and-mortar sites are accepting Bitcoin, too. Fly into Denver and you can even pay for your parking with Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency is not just for the unsavory criminal any more.

Editor's Note: This page is updated regularly and adds only confirmed major businesses or services currently accepting cryptocurrencies companywide or in specific corporate divisions. Subway, for example, is not on this list because only one store has been confirmed as using it; the company as a whole does not.

Are you a gadget junkie? If yes, then you'll be happy to hear that electronic retail giant Newegg accepts bitcoin. Newegg has chosen BitPay as its payment processing partner for the digital currency.

Note that the bitcoin option at checkout may be unavailable if you are purchasing an item from a seller other than Newegg but that sells through the Newegg site. Be aware that Newegg does not accept bitcoin for these purchases:

Will Call orders

Newegg Gift Cards (digital)

Marketplace items

Subscription orders

Pre-orders

Premier memberships

Return shipping labels

You can use Bitcoin to deposit funds into your Microsoft account. These funds, however, can only be used to purchase games, movies, and apps in the Windows and Xbox stores; you can't use them to buy things from the Microsoft online store.

Note: Any Bitcoin funds deposited are non-refundable.

There's a lot of fine print (this IS Microsoft, of course) but, on the other hand, Microsoft has the process pretty well streamlined. If you're a gamer or avid movie fan, this is a reliable service to use.

Thanks for letting us know!

Other Not enough details Hard to understand

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These popular websites let you pay for stuff with Bitcoins

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Got bitcoins to spend? Quite a few big sites have already begun to integrate payment options for Bitcoin. So, you're in luck if you've been holding onto yours for a while now either privately or in an exchange such as Coinbase and feel ready to use them to make a purchase.

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One of the biggest milestone in Blockchain Technology is having it replace fiat currency, although "Petro" hasn't fully replace fiat currency for Venezuela, it creation spark many debates among countries, that it's motivating other to do the same and having other countries fear it because of the possibility of destroying their local currency.

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Social Media Comments on Launch of Venezuela's Cryptocurrency

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Some Twitter users voiced reservations about Venezuela's fledgling cryptocurrency, but others welcomed its arrival with open arms.

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Facebook, is planning to create their own crypto currency, although it's still unofficial, this definitely reinforce the relation between social media and crypto currency, given Facebook's size and popularity it will is safe to assume an ICO above 1 billion.

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Finance Magnates | Financial and business news

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An exclusive source has confirmed to Finance Magnates that beleaguered social media giant Facebook is diversifying its product line with a cryptocurrency of its own - Facebook Coin (FBC). Users will have to register to use the coin, but Facebook will guarantee that wallets and transactions will be completely anonymous.

The development has not been officially announced, but reportedly the coin is to be launched on the Ethereum blockchain via an ICO within the next two weeks. Given the size and reach of Facebook, it seems safe to assume that the ICO will rival the 1.2 billion dollars that Telegram raised in its own funding round.

Background

Facebook has been all over the news lately for all the wrong reasons. It recently came to light that the company sold the personal information of more than 50 million of its users to a political data analysis firm called Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica illegally used that data to influence the public in the buildup to the Brexit referendum in the UK and in the last US presidential election.

After the scandal become public, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sent this statement to major newspapers in both countries:

"You may have heard about a quiz app built by a university researcher that leaked Facebook data of millions of people in 2014. This was a breach of trust, and I'm sorry we didn't do more at the time. We're now taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again....Thank you for believing in this community. I promise to do better for you."

Unfortunately for Zuckerberg, belief in the community is collapsing. Millions of users have closed their profiles in the wake of the scandal, and the market capitalisation of Facebook has crashed from 538 to 464 billion dollars.

But what will be of more concern to Facebook is the financial penalty that it will have to pay. In 2011 Facebook signed a consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission following allegations that it failed to keep to its promises regarding the privacy of its users. The most recent breach has been found to be a violation of this agreement, and the penalty under US law is 40,000 dollars per violation. As the data of 50 million people was inappropriately used, the total fine will run into the trillions of dollars.

It seems that Facebook's days as a social media platform may be numbered, which is why the board of the company has reportedly decided to branch out. Rumours are flying on Reddit:

Anonymous coin

According to our source, the technical details are still being worked out but it can be confirmed that FBC will be an anonymity-based coin along the lines of Monero. In order to hold a coin, users will have to supply data such as name, address, phone number, mother's maiden name and name of first pet. This is for security reasons; a privacy clause written into the smart contract will ensure that all transactions are entirely anonymous and completely untraceable.

Interestingly, our source told us that Facebook will be advertising the ICO on users' Facebook feeds. This is interesting because the company recently banned all cryptocurrency advertising on its platform. At the time, its product managing director said that Facebook wanted to avoid "scams and deception", and the decision to overlook this new rule for its own cryptocurrency has naturally raised eyebrows. However, our source denied that there is any contradiction in the policy:

"Facebook banned cryptocurrency advertising because too many of these companies were scams. This is completely different - Facebook's ICO is a legitimate way to get more data, which is needed to power a groundbreaking new anonymous digital coin - it is not a scam, so there is not reason for it not to appear on the platform."

We wish all of our readers a happy April Fool's Day.

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Exclusive: Facebook to Launch its Own Cryptocurrency with Massive ICO | Finance Magnates

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An exclusive source has confirmed to Finance Magnates that beleaguered social media giant Facebook is diversifying its product line with a cryptocurrency of its own - Facebook Coin (FBC). Users will have to register to use the coin, but Facebook will guarantee that wallets and transactions will be completely anonymous.

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To prevent fake news in social media platforms like Facebook, plan to create a crypto currency that would award people crypto currency for detecting fake news, fake users, fake likes and more.

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The blockchain is a very real thing

Entrepreneur Clem Chambers

The system also allows people to reward content they like by giving the creator a small amount of cryptocurrency.

Popular posts online can earn hundreds of thousands of views and likes.

Mr Chambers said: "I can buy fake likes on Facebook, all day long, I can buy fake views on my Youtube channel, I can buy fake followers on Instagram, I can buy fake followers on my Twitter.

Cryptocurrency price: A year in charts
Mon, March 12, 2018
Compare crypto currencies (Ripple, Bitcoin, Ethereum, LiteCoin) on value, market cap and supply for the past year

"But on the blockchain, it's different because it has an indelible record and on top of that the blockchain enables people to make the points that they are validating people with and enables those people by validating somebody to actually give them points and points equals prizes.

"Those points do ultimately have a financial value so you can give someone a penny, or a tenth of a penny or a hundredth of a penny but a robot view is not going to do that.

"So that is a real thing that validates that interaction and it actually pays the platform and pays the content provider."

Using the example a news article the On-line Blockchain CEO explains users could like a comment and if that comment becomes popular enough the commenter could earn money from their input.

The platform can have a revenue stream and the commenter can have a revenue stream all from interacting and using Plus One Coin.

Mr Chambers reveals that although the revolutionary idea does not appeal to corporate investors it has won the backing from their existing client base.

He said: "It feels to us like a very strong offering. Of course, when you go out into the world with something as exciting as that most corporates will just say 'oh no, too scary, I might get fired'.

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'Social media cryptocurrency' will allow users to earn money for Facebook 'likes'

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The blockchain is a very real thing Entrepreneur Clem Chambers The system also allows people to reward content they like by giving the creator a small amount of cryptocurrency. Popular posts online can earn hundreds of thousands of views and likes.

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Many people avoid crypto currency because of the stigma that surround it. Although it was mainly use for underground transaction in dark web in the past, through social media, many of the misconception have been cleared and is now making its way to becoming a popular currency world wide, even traded in wall street.

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Thumbnail image via Wikicommons

Bitcoin is a cipher-literally and figuratively. The crypto-currency conjures a William Gibson-esque panorama of dark web Tor servers, masked figures cavorting in Eastern European shipping containers, multibillion dollar South American cartel-laundering operations, gaunt college sophomores picking up Silk Road designer drugs at liberal arts-school mailboxes, and so forth. It's also an indicator of libertarian Silicon Valley utopianism where everyone pins their identity to the blockchain, eschewing the globalist banking Nanny State and spending the rest of their lives blissfully playing video games on a seasteader colony in international waters.

All this geopolitical intrigue and philosophical gesticulation omits the fact that, in 2016, Bitcoin is a real currency used by normal people. Following last night's episode of Black Market: Dispatches looking at Bitcoin-driven commerce on the dark web, we've interviewed six of those users, most of whom have asked for their identities be kept anonymous. They use bitcoin for buying drugs, selling sex, evading genome-investigation regulations, exploiting supermarket-account hacks, gambling in Las Vegas, and more. Here are some examples of the type of things people use Bitcoin to pay for.

Drugs (and Tesco vouchers)

I've been buying Bitcoin for four years and have used it on a variety of dark-web websites. I buy it legitimately from Bitcoin sellers on authorized sites, run it through a few Bitcoin tumblers, and deposit them on the dark-web site I want to purchase it through. It costs a small percentage of Bitcoin to do this, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Law enforcement has gotten sharper in recent years-not like how it was four years ago. The process normally takes a few hours, so I start it at the beginning of the day and try to get it through to the dark web market before postage closes.

When I started buying, it was only £3 per bitcoin-I wish I'd invested more at the time, but I didn't. I've used many dark-web sites, from Silk Road, Silk Road 2.0, Sheep Market, Agora, and now Alphabay. Mostly I've been successful-I've been scammed a few times, though, but only for small amounts. I mainly use it to buy drugs because the quality and price is much better than buying from a street dealer. I've bought ecstasy, hash, cocaine, acid, 2cb, mescaline, and opium, but I've also used it to buy cracks for software and £100 worth of Tesco club card vouchers for around £30.

Sex worker advertisements

I manage locations in the sex industry, an industry very reliant on alternative currencies and untraceable forms of payment. For many years, the industry standard for how sex workers paid for advertisements and online services was using prepaid Visa cards that weren't directly linked to their identity. In the past few years, because of a pretty highly publicized battle between backpage.com and Visa/Mastercard (read more here), a lot of sex workers and industry managers have turned to Bitcoin and other alternative currencies. I use Bitcoin to fund accounts that enable me to put up advertisements for the women who work each day. My boss uses a Bitcoin brokerage firm in Brooklyn-he's wealthy enough to do that, but for many people in the sex industry, that isn't possible. Many young, independent sex workers lack the funds, education, and technology to set up Bitcoin for themselves.

Genome-sequence analysis

I paid $200 to have my genome sequenced by 23andMe, and I was underwhelmed with it. Then I found this website called Promethease-promethease.com-that takes all your genetic data (which, I guess, is a little sketchy) as well as $5 (or the equivalent in Bitcoin); in exchange, you get a zip file with a self-contained web app that presents what associations your single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have with various diseases/traits. The juicy information was more accessible than at 23andMe, and they can get away with telling you things that are more high stakes-even when the science is still incomplete. For example, there are no 23andMe reports for Parkinson's disease, but on Promethease, I can type in "Parkinson's" and see that I may have a slightly increased risk of developing Parkinson's. I take it all with a grain of salt, though-it'd be silly not to.

Gambling

I got into Bitcoin around 2010, when the price per coin was still under a dollar, and there was no real infrastructure or institutional investment associated with it. I tinkered around with it and was able to mine an entire block of 50 Bitcoins [current value: $28,2795] on my shitty little PC, and I held onto it because I thought it was interesting from tech and political perspectives. Also, pre-Silk Road, there wasn't anything you could use it for besides weed and alpaca socks.

As the price went up, I started spending it. The first thing I bought was a pizza, and then I bought parts to build a computer from a site called bitcoinstore.com., which shows that you can run a store and sell PC parts cheaply for Bitcoin. I bought acid twice from Silk Road, too. These days, I mostly use it as a really volatile savings account, and for gambling money: There's a "Bitcoin ATM" inside the D Casino in downtown Vegas, and anytime I go out there, I pull out a couple hundred bucks and gamble with it.

Fake IDs

My boyfriend got his Fake ID taken in the Hamptons last week, so now he's ordering one from a site recommended on Reddit that only accepts Bitcoin payments.

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Here's How People Are Actually Using Bitcoin

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Thumbnail image via Wikicommons Bitcoin is a cipher-literally and figuratively. The crypto-currency conjures a William Gibson-esque panorama of dark web Tor servers, masked figures cavorting in Eastern European shipping containers, multibillion dollar South American cartel-laundering operations, gaunt college sophomores picking up Silk Road designer drugs at liberal arts-school mailboxes, and so forth.

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Social media is used as a source of information for people who are trading crypto currencies because of the speed of news, social media also allows people to narrow the news that they want to hear and see, giving a more filtered and useful information when trading crypto currencies.

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Following a recent surge in Bitcoin value, investors from all backgrounds have taken notice of the world of cryptocurrencies. In the last year alone, Bitcoin has risen more than 600%, while some digital currencies have risen even more. Understanding and profiting from cryptocurrencies requires cutting edge tools that help answer the question: How do we best adapt and execute our investment strategy?

Whether you want to invest in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, or another up-and-coming cryptocurrency, social media is a valuable source to gather real-time breaking news to inform your investment strategy. Understanding social media alone is not enough: To win consistently in digital currencies requires the right information at the right time.
What are cryptocurrencies, and how do they work?

A cryptocurrency is a decentralized, peer-to-peer digital asset not managed by a central party. For example, dollars are managed by the United States Federal Reserve Banks, Euros are managed by the European Central Bank, and the Pound sterling is managed by the Bank of England. Digital currencies work differently.

Bitcoin is the largest and best-known cryptocurrency, though there are many others, including Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Moero, Dash, Zcash. These currencies are maintained through a digital system known as Blockchain. With Blockchain, all coin ownership and transactions are tracked in a virtual ledger stored by thousands of computers around the world. Each transaction is added to a "block," which is then reflected on the ledger on all participating computers.
Breaking cryptocurrency news emerges on social networks
Digital currencies trade in a continuously open, 24/7/365 market. This always on approach creates a constant need for information, a contrast to traditional equities markets which have distinct market hours. Furthermore, the digital and global nature of cryptocurrencies make them even more volatile and susceptible to large swings in value.

Social networks also operate 24/7/365 and globally, so cryptocurrency investors naturally turn their attention to sources like Reddit and Twitter when discussing new developments and potential valuations. By relying on these networks for breaking news, cryptocurrency traders can better manage their risk and make smarter decisions.

Cryptocurrency-focused forums on the social network Reddit are among the fastest-growing topics on the site. One "subreddit," the term used for the various Reddit forums, is adding over 1,000 users per day. That specific forum has about 150,000 users sharing around 500 new discussion topics per day.

Twitter is another major source of cryptocurrency news, thanks to its succinct, timely and one-to-many design. Developers, cryptocurrency traders, and journalists alike often flock to Twitter to share breaking news on the currency. Calculating with Tweet Binder, a recent sample demonstrated that there are 2,000 mentions of the hashtag #Bitcoin about every 30 minutes.
Pinpoint valuable information to inform your cryptocurrency investment strategy
Now, let us zero in on Twitter. A quick glance at the #cryptocurrency hashtag on Twitter shows about a dozen Tweets per minute at any given time. This begs the question: What if a Tweet contained valuable information to inform your cryptocurrency investment strategy?

For example, on September 12, 2017, Litecoin founder Charlie Lee tweeted that Bitcoin would be banned in China. In a Tweet several minutes later, he clarified that was he was only referring to Bitcoin exchanges in China. (Note: Both Tweets have since been deleted). Around the same time, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, called Bitcoin a fraud at the Delivering Alpha conference in New York. Following both of these events, there were substantially higher trading volumes and a drop in Bitcoin price.

Getting information similar to these examples earlier than anyone else could be immensely valuable. The next challenge is finding this information in a sea of noise that is fragmented across the web.

Tools like Dataminr have been adopted by traders to separate the investment signals from this noise. If we take the examples referenced above, Dataminr alerted clients to these Tweets well before the traditional news cycle had run with the story. Since its founding in 2009, Dataminr has been tapping into the full stream of Tweets, about 500 million per day, to detect and deliver to clients real-time breaking news alerts before they make headlines. Dataminr sits at the bleeding edge of information in the always on, volatile world of cryptocurrency news.
Leverage every tool at your disposal for improved digital currency profits
In the age of high-speed trading and trading bots, it is important to take advantage of every possible resource. Tapping into social media as a source for breaking news may be your best route to success in the lighting fast world of cryptocurrency.
Fill out the form below to watch our on-demand webcast to learn more about why social media is a valuable source to gather real-time breaking cryptocurrency news.

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Tapping into Social Media to Profit in Cryptocurrency | Dataminr

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Following a recent surge in Bitcoin value, investors from all backgrounds have taken notice of the world of cryptocurrencies. In the last year alone, Bitcoin has risen more than 600%, while some digital currencies have risen even more. Understanding and profiting from cryptocurrencies requires cutting edge tools that help answer the question: How do we best adapt and execute our investment strategy?

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"A blockchain, originally block chain, is a continuously growing list of records, called blocks, which are linked and secured using cryptography." Wikipedia

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Crypto currencies popularity also raised several alarms, especially for China, famous for their censorship and control over everything within the country, Chinese Government create crack downs and tighten regulation in an attempt to discourage people from using the technology. In an attempt to overpass Government regulation people turn underground trading and opened opportunity for underground online platforms in the Dark-web.

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A recent report by the Wall Street Journal explores the aftermath to the Chinese government's recent move to ban initial coin offerings and crack down on cryptocurrency exchanges. The two announcements may have been the biggest for the entire industry in the month of September, as they signaled not only a severe regulatory countermeasure adapted by a nation but also a strong reaction from digital currency markets, which plummeted in response to the news. (See more: How Might China's Ban Affect Bitcoin?)

However, just because the state has banned ICOs and cracked down on digital currency exchanges within its borders, it does not necessarily mean that cryptocurrency trading and investing within China has gone or will go away entirely. (See more: China's Ban on Bitcoin Exchanges Was Not Fake News After All.)

Clandestine Sales Pitches Flourish

The WSJ report suggests that "as China widens crackdowns on exchanges and attempts to limit private trading venues for digital currencies, clandestine sales pitches seeking as much as $100,000 per investor are taking place away out of regulators' sight."

If the report is accurate, perhaps a good deal of the trading activity involving digital currencies, which had formerly been conducted on public online platforms, is now moving over to lower-profile, in-person offices or more secretive online services. Nonetheless, there still remains a market of interested investors looking to make moves in the cryptocurrency space. There are also digital currency promoters and sellers aiming to capitalize on that fact.

The report indicates that a Hong Kong cryptocurrency conference from September included discussions about how to continue trading in digital currencies within China despite the country's increased regulations. A Shenzen-based bitcoin trading company called Bitkan has weighed in on the subject, with CEO Leon Liu saying "the government doesn't have any way of policing offline sales" of those products.

Investors Approach With Caution

Before the crackdown, seminars focused on cryptocurrency investing might have drawn hundreds of people at a time. Now, they are scaled down, with investors apparently behaving more cautiously and in secret.

A woman selling cryptocurrencies in such a way and referred to only as Ms. Zhang suggested that "China didn't invent ICOs. That was the United Nations. ICOs have a lot of scams. Not like us. We have lots of real assets."

Zhang pitched a virtual currency product to a group of potential investors in an attempt to gain offline sales of the product, with investors able to purchase between $3,000 and $100,000 of the virtual currency in question.

All of this suggests that while countries like China may make official changes to the ways in which cryptocurrencies can be traded, the strength of the global trend is such that even legal and regulatory boundaries may not be enough to dissuade some of the most passionate and eager investors.

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China's Cryptocurrencies Have Gone Underground

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A recent report by the Wall Street Journal explores the aftermath to the Chinese government's recent move to ban initial coin offerings and crack down on cryptocurrency exchanges.

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"Steem was created to empower people across the world and incentivize good discussion on the internet.  The underlying technology is open source and free for anyone to build and enhance upon."

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Steem: A blockchain based social media platform

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"Venezuela has launched an Ethereum-based cryptocurrency called Petro to help stabilize the country's economy." Social Media is one of the primary way of exposure for Venezuela's new currency, it been talked about in twitter, youtube and more.

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CNN News about Bitcoin Popularity all Over the World

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CNN News about Bitcoin Popularity all Over the World

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CNN News about Bitcoin Popularity all Over the World

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Venezuelan cryptocurrency, oil-backed #Petro officially on sale, while for the national currency bolivar, Maduro announced to lop off three zeros https://t.co/dT9DENpeJd

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Venezuelan cryptocurrency, oil-backed #Petro officially on sale, while for the national currency bolivar, Maduro announced to lop off three zeros https://t.co/dT9DENpeJd https://t.co/cwY2cRwLGz

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Venezuelan cryptocurrency, oil-backed #Petro officially on sale, while for the national currency bolivar, Maduro announced to lop off three zeros https://t.co/dT9DENpeJd pic.twitter.com/cwY2cRwLGz
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) March 23, 2018

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Venezuelan cryptocurrency, oil-backed #Petro officially on sale, while for the national currency bolivar, Maduro announced to lop off three zeros https://t.co/dT9DENpeJd https://t.co/cwY2cRwLGz

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Venezuelan cryptocurrency, oil-backed #Petro officially on sale, while for the national currency bolivar, Maduro announced to lop off three zeros https://t.co/dT9DENpeJd https://t.co/cwY2cRwLGz

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Venezuelan cryptocurrency, oil-backed #Petro officially on sale, while for the national currency bolivar, Maduro announced to lop off three zeros https://t.co/dT9DENpeJd

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1.) https://wersm.com/how-social-media-continues-to-drive-cryptocurrency-success/
2.)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_bitcoin
3.)https://www.coindesk.com/tesla-model-3-bitcoin/

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Despite stricter regulation and crack down on crypto currency exchanges, sale continues!

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Despite stricter regulation and crack down on crypto currency exchanges, sale continues!

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China business accepts BTC!

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Photo taken in Shenzhen, China. 
It says this McLaren P1 is for sale for ￥17.8 mil CNY (~$2.8 mil). BTC, ETH, and BCC (actually BCH) are accepted as payment.
This is one of the three luxury sports cars in the shop that accepts crypto-currency payment. Here goes the other two:

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Photo taken in Shenzhen, China. 
It says this McLaren P1 is for sale for ￥17.8 mil CNY (~$2.8 mil). BTC, ETH, and BCC (actually BCH) are accepted as payment.
This is one of the three luxury sports cars in the shop that accepts crypto-currency payment. Here goes the other two: https://t.co/KOAUlz8eNY

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Photo taken in Shenzhen, China.
It says this McLaren P1 is for sale for ￥17.8 mil CNY (~$2.8 mil). BTC, ETH, and BCC (actually BCH) are accepted as payment.
This is one of the three luxury sports cars in the shop that accepts crypto-currency payment. Here goes the other two: pic.twitter.com/KOAUlz8eNY
— cnLedger (@cnLedger) February 8, 2018

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Photo taken in Shenzhen, China. 
It says this McLaren P1 is for sale for ￥17.8 mil CNY (~$2.8 mil). BTC, ETH, and BCC (actually BCH) are accepted as payment.
This is one of the three luxury sports cars in the shop that accepts crypto-currency payment. Here goes the other two: https://t.co/KOAUlz8eNY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.original_text
Photo taken in Shenzhen, China. 
It says this McLaren P1 is for sale for ￥17.8 mil CNY (~$2.8 mil). BTC, ETH, and BCC (actually BCH) are accepted as payment.
This is one of the three luxury sports cars in the shop that accepts crypto-currency payment. Here goes the other two: https://t.co/KOAUlz8eNY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
Photo taken in Shenzhen, China. 
It says this McLaren P1 is for sale for ￥17.8 mil CNY (~$2.8 mil). BTC, ETH, and BCC (actually BCH) are accepted as payment.
This is one of the three luxury sports cars in the shop that accepts crypto-currency payment. Here goes the other two: