Bitcoin doesn't hold the promise it once did, explosive growth and adoption, now the only explosion in adoption is the number of segwit users. People are using the lightning network before it's ready, potentially damaging the bitcoin ecosystem.
The latter is necessary for the first. Unless more people start to use SegWit, Bitcoin won't be able to satisfy the next growth spurt. Without our crazy pioneers testing LN on mainnet, it would take even longer for LN to become production ready and enable the scalability that is needed for an increase of adoption.
So I ask you, what can we do to improve bitcoin adoption, reduce fees and protect bitcoin for being crushed by regulations?
To improve Bitcoin adoption and reduce fees, the most tangible thing you can do is to 1) start using SegWit, 2) avoid exchanges that haven't yet switched to SegWit (looking at you, Coinbase) and 3) become one of the crazy pioneers that test LN on mainnet, if you are so technically inclined.
Apart from that, the only thing you can do is educate yourself and those around you. Know the up and downsides of Bitcoin and its surrounding ecosystem. This way you'll be able to call out bullshit, when you see it, and support potential newcomers, when they need it. Especially the latter is of utmost importance.
Should friends of you decide to enter crypto, make sure that they stay safe. That they know how to secure their coins and that they learn how to avoid getting scammed. I'm not sure why, but people seem to lose common sense after entering crypto, start to get greedy and fall for the silliest of rip-offs. Don't let this happen to your friends.
In addition to that, it's of utmost importance that we, as a community, make the lifes of newcomers as easy as possible, lest they turn their backs and never come back. It used to be that cryptocurrencies was mostly for techies and a special breed of libertarians. Now the average consumer is entering the game and we need to make sure that those civilians don't get hurt in this wild west clusterfuck that is crypto.
Oh, and don't try to push crypto on people. It gives crypto a bad rep and makes it seem like a weird cult. I mean it is, in a way, but just be supportive when people ask for help.