I think Bitcoin is both over and underestimated quite a bit. I think those that dismiss it as just another fad or ponzi scheme have a good point. It certainly meets a lot of that criteria. I also think they miss the larger point of what Bitcoin could be. It is a major improvement over traditional money, and is already bringing change to the world to a certain extent. It's also overestimated by a lot of the talking heads out there. Currently, the individual demand for Bitcoin wouldn't put it's price anywhere near what it is today. A huge majority of those buying Bitcoin are speculators, including Microstrategy, Tesla, etc... They aren't using their Bitcoin, they are just buying loads of it and hoping that at some point in the future there will be so few left on the market it will be worth a fortune. This isn't really the way to change the world in my opinion and I think much of the focus on Bitcoin now is about transitioning money from one system to another and less about adoption for legitimate use cases.
So if you think Bitcoin is what's going to free us from financial slavery, you aren't paying attention to who is buying it all. If you think it's a ponzi scheme then you've probably missed out on life changing gains and don't understand the entire space. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Precisely. People often have a different perception of what Bitcoin truly is. Some view it as a way to make money, while others view it as a currency for day-to-day payments. What's concerning is that wealthy companies and exchanges are stockpiling large amounts of Bitcoin, greatly introducing the risk of centralization. This brings inequality as only the wealthy will control Bitcoin's supply, leaving the average person out of the game.
I'd say most people underestimate Bitcoin as they believe it's nothing more than a fad. They trust Fiat currencies more than anything else, in part because banks have dominated the mainstream economy for a long time. Those who truly recognize Bitcoin's benefits won't look back ever again. I wouldn't worry about what people think about BTC as long as it does its job well as a decentralized and censorship-resistant cryptocurrency anyone can use without limitations. Just my opinion