Merchant acceptance might be up, but I doubt there's been much of an increase in people using bitcoin to buy things--or if there has been, I don't think it's a trend that's going to stick. Ever since I became aware of bitcoin, I've always wondered why anyone would want to spend it instead of fiat if privacy isn't a concern, which it isn't for most people. That isn't to say I don't understand why bitcoin is revolutionary, because I do. But for the average person it isn't necessary when it comes to buying everyday goods & services. It wasn't necessary 10 years ago when bitcoin came out and it isn't today, so I don't see this article as anything of huge importance.
UX definitely needs to be improved to appeal to regular folk, but having the option to use it is a lot better than not having it at all. It sucks that adoption is slow and even uninteresting to some people, but it's always nice to know that
some infrastructure exists, ready for anyone who may want to dip their toes in; can't start using it if it's not accepted anywhere after all. Heck, the fact that it's still being accepted
at all despite the factors you've mentioned is a victory to me lol.
The one used in the example of men using the token to buy sexy lingerie is one of the things that gives Bitcoin an advantage over it's competitors. The pseudo anonymity protect the user of that token and more boutiques and sex shops should be approached to ask if they would be willing to accept Bitcoin.
Well to be fair, most of these services offer discreet billing, so their customers often aren't bothered. But yeah, that's not enough as it doesn't protect against leaks (remember Ashley Madison?), so Bitcoin is absolutely perfect for this. Most independent workers seem to accept crypto as far as I can see, so there's that at least.