Be also beware of "oracles" who made us believe that they understood Bitcoin. Because Bitcoin is not a magic financial solution for mainstream consumers. It's a protocol which mainstream consumer financial solutions can be built on top.
Bitcoin might be of more value to people and businesses who look for a secure store of value, a settlement layer, a payment rail, or an unstoppable censorship-resistant cryptocurrency.
I think a core issue here is that Bitcoin's deflationary supply discourages spending. It creates strong incentives for people to save rather than spend, especially when contrasted against the inflationary fiat money burning holes in our bank accounts.
This is why some early altcoins like Freicoin introduced demurrage-like fees to discourage hoarding and ensure that currency remained in circulation.
If/when Bitcoin usage is ubiquitous in society, it will be widely demanded among merchants. Consumer payments don't need to be the catalyst for mass adoption, though. That's where I think people have it wrong when they put all the focus on consumer and merchant adoption. Bitcoin is a new form of money, not just an attempt to compete with Mastercard.
