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Topic: How do you introduce Bitcoin to people without digital literacy? (Read 632 times)

member
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I faced this challenge when i was new to the crypto space, but if these your friend don't have basic standard education it will be a bit difficult.

they have sharpen their knowledge first. they have to start from the beginning acquiring knowledge of the internet and how the internet works.

to me that's the basic foundation. a new born baby starts with milk before solid foods are introduce later on.  
it might be very difficult to introduce bitcoin without digital literacy especially to people who are beginners and don't know anything about crypto.
because bitcoin is a digital currency that is created and stored electronically. as a digital currency, bitcoin does not have a physical form like fiat currency. there is no governing authority or central body controlling it.
making it impossible to introduce or learn bitcoin without digital literacy.
jr. member
Activity: 94
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Maybe OP was talking more about how to get BTC more mainstream when the mainstream is still pretty anti-internet.

I think a bigger problem is introducing Bitcoin to people without much socio economic literacy period. That is why the community dismisses them as 'normies', they are all conditioned to be told what to do by the biggest stakeholders in national fiat economies.

Bitcoin is for people that have more to their being than a physical body & instinct for survival, in short, an ego. BTC is for people who are interested in enlightenment Grin
legendary
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Introduction of people into cryptocurrency is not hard, because it would have difficult to introduce people into cryptocurrency when it is not popular. Because looking at the stuff of introduction or bringing people into cryptocurrency investment and cryptocurrency trading, it's a just good reason to brainstorm the person of the values of cryptocurrency. And right now the benefit of cryptocurrency is now online and every body can access it through online.
I am afraid that is not the challenge OP is facing in educating his pals, of course Bitcoin is popular and many people have prolly heard about it, but the thing is, can they use it, do they know how best to use it without losing funds, do they know the safest wallet to use or what the security measures to be taken are. The discussion here isn't about investing, trading, or making money from Bitcoin and crypto, it is about passing the necessary knowledge on to ones friends and family, and you have to accept that it is difficult to do, there are quite a lot of erroneous perspectives about the network one must change in people's minds if they are to learn, though it has already been stated that you can exempt them from the technical aspects and just teach them the basics, without necessarily talking about how to make money in the beginning.
legendary
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A person who is truly interested in a bitcoin will find ways and sources of information to learn more about it. You don't need to be digitally literate to use Google's search engine. Now everyone knows how to do this, which means that it is easy to find guides and training materials for learning information about btc.


Are you sure that all the sources that Google gives out today are trustworthy? How about advertising fake wallets? And that's what Google does.
I believe that whoever seeks will find it. But self-study takes quite a long time compared to getting information from a person who can explain everything "on the fingers".
It is easy to explain what bitcoin is and how to use it metaphorically; what is close to people, and after understanding the essence, explain it completely. But both those who study on their own and those who have a teacher still need to be prepared for mistakes and losses. Specifically, mistakes are the best teachers.
legendary
Activity: 2576
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I guess this is more or less like explaining Bitcoin to a five-year old kid. It's probably even easier because these friends of yours must have already an understanding or idea of how money, the internet, a smart phone or computer, or the law of supply and demand works. Of course, you don't have to delve into very technical terms and jargons. Perhaps money could be used as a foundation or a starting point. You would probably need to use a lot of simple comparisons and analogies.
legendary
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A person who is truly interested in a bitcoin will find ways and sources of information to learn more about it. You don't need to be digitally literate to use Google's search engine. Now everyone knows how to do this, which means that it is easy to find guides and training materials for learning information about btc.


I just don't waste time "introducing" people to Bitcoin. It doesn't matter if they are tech savvy or non-tech savvy.
The people, who aren't aware about the hidden dangers of the crypto world might fall into a crypto scam or make a rookie mistake(like sending BTC to the wrong address). I don't wanna get blamed by someone else for other people's mistakes.
 If a person is clearly interested in Bitcoin/crypto he or she will do his/her own research and learn enough about the subject. The best to learn about a topic is practice. Using Bitcoin is the best way to learn about Bitcoin. There will be mistakes along the way, but trial and error is still the best learning method.
I fully agree with the highlighted text in davis196's post and therefore, I think that there is nothing better than practicing. To master the knowledge of bitcoin, don't need to wait for a "sensei" who will teach you all the tricks and secret techniques of use. Everyone can master it with time and patience. There would be a desire.
hero member
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I usually do the reverse way. Instead of introducing them into Bitcoin, I attract them like a magnet by means of sharing posts related to Bitcoin without expecting any reactions or interests from my social media friends, fans, followers, etc.

An indirect way of attracting them is by means of seeing me having a different lifestyle such as travel. There are few times that some people who doesn’t have digital literacy have messaged me and inquired on what I usually do. I just said that I trade Bitcoin and that’s it, nothing else.

If they just said “ahhhh ok” and then not keen to know more about it, I don’t waste my time and energy in discussing Bitcoin to them. I don’t persuade them to buy and trade Bitcoin unless they are the ones who are begging me to teach them. It’s because we cannot please everybody.

If they are so eager to learn, then I’ll just teach them the basics and educate them about the risks like they do not go all in, only put an amount that they can afford to lose, DYOR, etc., since they aren’t being digital literates like the baby boomers or seniors.

It’s all about maintaining good relationship with them even if they are not interested to do Bitcoin.
hero member
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I just don't waste time "introducing" people to Bitcoin. It doesn't matter if they are tech savvy or non-tech savvy.
The people, who aren't aware about the hidden dangers of the crypto world might fall into a crypto scam or make a rookie mistake(like sending BTC to the wrong address). I don't wanna get blamed by someone else for other people's mistakes.
 If a person is clearly interested in Bitcoin/crypto he or she will do his/her own research and learn enough about the subject. The best to learn about a topic is practice. Using Bitcoin is the best way to learn about Bitcoin. There will be mistakes along the way, but trial and error is still the best learning method.
sr. member
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I tried several times to explain bitcoin to people and as you may guess I failed as well which is why I do not do it anymore, however if there is something everyone responds is their own self-interest.

We must try to explain why bitcoin can help them and why it is important that they understand it, as it is most likely a technology they will have to learn to use sooner or later, however it is also important to be realistic and avoid describing bitcoin as a way to make a lot of money, as that could without a doubt create an incentive for people to adopt bitcoin but most likely those people will lose their money and blame you for it.

I thunk it will require a lot of time, effort and it will consume your energy. People without digital literacy can be very difficult to teach, but if still want to learn about bitcoin and crypto they will have time to adjust themselves, they will make an effort for them to understand us. Any ages can start and learn crypto it will only differs to those who are determined to know it, all materials are available online.

Yes, actually it takes quite a bit of time and effort. I once did not explain what bitcoin is to a close friend of mine, he is not a regular computer user but he can use basic things like listening, watching movies, chatting...then i said he should start bitcoin with google and youtube.
After seeing all the basics on social media and he came back to me and I realized he was starting to understand it better. Maybe sometimes we know about bitcoin but somehow our wording is so bad that it confuses listeners. So in the future, whoever asks me about bitcoin, I want them to hear about bitcoin on social media first and I will answer the rest of the questions for them, which helps them grasp it fast.
legendary
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If you are telling them about bitcoin some other people get curious about it and some of them not because they don't really care, to those who don't care about bitcoin even though you say you can earn a lot, the best way is only tell about the people who are willing to know or interested because by that you can share all the things and knowledge you have just to make them aware about the dos and don'ts and by that you can see their progress through your help.
sr. member
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This can be very tough and frustrating.  However, I think the key would be to present things in terms of what they already have literacy in as this may be transferrable and able to help them connect the dots, resulting in a framework upon which they can build further knowledge confidently and independently if desired.

If they really want to learn things about Bitcoin, then they should find ways on how to be fully equipped with digital literacy because, to be honest, your efforts will fall into nothing if they can't adopt the learnings due to a lack of knowledge about the latest technology. That's actually the reason why lots of people still got no idea about how Bitcoin works because they aren't knowledgeable about the digital world.

At this point, you could think of something that is relatable to most people and come up with a good analogy to bridge the gap, set the foundation so they can find their way.  Like explaining the internet to non-tecnical folks back in the day, using the post office analogy, most were able to get it and subsequently overcome; they found their way and by doing so acquired the necessary technical knowledge.
It's their to find on the internet if they are really interested about learning Bitcoin because it would be a waste of time if you just explain it to them and they have no single idea what you have been talking. There are tons of videos on YT and articles on the internet that he could find to read or watch more about Bitcoin so let them take their time of absorbing those free information and come back to you to ask more for clarification question. Don't waste your time to someone to try to explain what they couldn't understand in a single day.
legendary
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I tried several times to explain bitcoin to people and as you may guess I failed as well which is why I do not do it anymore, however if there is something everyone responds is their own self-interest.

We must try to explain why bitcoin can help them and why it is important that they understand it, as it is most likely a technology they will have to learn to use sooner or later, however it is also important to be realistic and avoid describing bitcoin as a way to make a lot of money, as that could without a doubt create an incentive for people to adopt bitcoin but most likely those people will lose their money and blame you for it.

I thunk it will require a lot of time, effort and it will consume your energy. People without digital literacy can be very difficult to teach, but if still want to learn about bitcoin and crypto they will have time to adjust themselves, they will make an effort for them to understand us. Any ages can start and learn crypto it will only differs to those who are determined to know it, all materials are available online.
For a person who doesn't have digital literacy too can learn about cryptocurrencies in an easy way. If they need to be taught about the technical elements, then it is a tough thing and the educator too need more patience. If he/she needs to be taught about using cryptocurrencies, then it is simple.

In my country with the smartphone people are now much used to the digital payments, even the one who doesn't have digital literacy does it. This is all through the user friendly wallet. Taking such thing as an example it is possible to educate them to make use of it.
hero member
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Interesting question and this rally happen to me a few years ago when I was trying to explain bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to my old uncle, he had no information about bitcoin and no information about the new technologies I tried so hard to explain him everything very simple but I failed and I the end he reacted just like warren buffet he told me bitcoin worth nothing. So, in my own idea for some people, it's hard to understand bitcoin because they have no knowledge about it.
I tried several times to explain bitcoin to people and as you may guess I failed as well which is why I do not do it anymore, however if there is something everyone responds is their own self-interest.

We must try to explain why bitcoin can help them and why it is important that they understand it, as it is most likely a technology they will have to learn to use sooner or later, however it is also important to be realistic and avoid describing bitcoin as a way to make a lot of money, as that could without a doubt create an incentive for people to adopt bitcoin but most likely those people will lose their money and blame you for it.
legendary
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How do you introduce Bitcoin to people without digital literacy?
Based on your topic. That should not disturbed you so much. It is a very simple matter. This issue is very simple in the teaching and learning process. Because this is a matter of education and as a educationist I will guide you. There are steps you must take. The first thing to know is, can they read to understand and write? Now if they can read and understand and write. Then you being the teacher in the process, must be a computer or technological literate. you have to teach them the basic computer applications to enable them to understand basic features on the device screen. Since they are your personal friends, teach them pictorial icons and their functions, how to open file, document, folder, and Microsoft applications plus mastering the keysboard or pad. Then lastly, how to use the internet. How to signup and signin, how to search for information on the internet. When they have known that, then you can teach them the basic concept of BITCOIN . If the above are not properly taught, then they cannot understand bitcoin but they are well taught they can catch up very fast.
hero member
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This can be very tough and frustrating.  However, I think the key would be to present things in terms of what they already have literacy in as this may be transferrable and able to help them connect the dots, resulting in a framework upon which they can build further knowledge confidently and independently if desired.

If they really want to learn things about Bitcoin, then they should find ways on how to be fully equipped with digital literacy because, to be honest, your efforts will fall into nothing if they can't adopt the learnings due to a lack of knowledge about the latest technology. That's actually the reason why lots of people still got no idea about how Bitcoin works because they aren't knowledgeable about the digital world.

At this point, you could think of something that is relatable to most people and come up with a good analogy to bridge the gap, set the foundation so they can find their way.  Like explaining the internet to non-tecnical folks back in the day, using the post office analogy, most were able to get it and subsequently overcome; they found their way and by doing so acquired the necessary technical knowledge.
legendary
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It will be little bit difficult. But, doesn't mean that it is impossible.
As long as they have willing to learn about Bitcoin, we can start teaching Bitcoin with something very easy. First, maybe we need to explain online technology and Bitcoin from the common knowledge. For firstly, I suggest that you don't need to explain the technical about Bitcoin because they will be nonsense. They will probably feel so hard to accept the information. That is why you need to start from the easy information about what is Bitcoin, by telling them with very simple conversation or example.
it's easier we have to give real examples or illustrations of the use of bitcoin in everyday life, so that people can understand what bitcoin is and how it works.
With some of these simple methods, bitcoin knowledge will be easier to understand than providing technical knowledge about bitcoin. We as people who understand bitcoin really have to use a method that is good and easy to understand.

As in this thread https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/i-have-started-teaching-bitcoin-to-my-neighbors-5408842
he began to teach bitcoin to his neighbors using a small blackboard by explaining the important points of what bitcoin was.
hero member
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When I am faced with the challenge of introducing someone to Bitcoin, I always ensure that first I try to understand the reason the person wants to be introduced to Bitcoin at that time.
  • If the person have seen my success or success of someone who is into Bitcoin, and becomes interested in Bitcoin, I will know that the person have the get rich quick scheme mindset. I will first try to re-orient the person before discussing bitcoin with the person. And I will not go deep into the technicals because the person might not last long or even understand.
  • If the person is doing well already and wants to be introduced to Bitcoin, I will know that the person wants where to invest his more, then I will teach the person the basics and technicals of bitcoin
hero member
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This can be very tough and frustrating.  However, I think the key would be to present things in terms of what they already have literacy in as this may be transferrable and able to help them connect the dots, resulting in a framework upon which they can build further knowledge confidently and independently if desired.

If they really want to learn things about Bitcoin, then they should find ways on how to be fully equipped with digital literacy because, to be honest, your efforts will fall into nothing if they can't adopt the learnings due to a lack of knowledge about the latest technology. That's actually the reason why lots of people still got no idea about how Bitcoin works because they aren't knowledgeable about the digital world.
hero member
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This can be very tough and frustrating.  However, I think the key would be to present things in terms of what they already have literacy in as this may be transferrable and able to help them connect the dots, resulting in a framework upon which they can build further knowledge confidently and independently if desired.
hero member
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For it's currently giving me a lot of concern!
My rule of thumb whenever I'm trying teach someone something new irrespective of their educational qualifications or whether the person is an adult or a child is to use objects or materials which the person can easily relate to in giving instances or in explanation. I have always found it to be one of the most efficient and effective ways to pass knowledge.

The op mentioned that these friends are people with some sort of vocational skill. That's the good place to begin. Use objects, materials or resources that you may have to be relatable in teaching them.  And you do not need to dump it all on them in one day. You may decide to start with a story of how bitcoin started. Everyone loves a good story. Anyone can learn anything as long as the person is interested.
hero member
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Same with bitcoin: if your friends are interested in crypto, it's very possible they're interested in USING it, not in the technical background. In this case, i'd just explain them the difference between a custodial and non-custodial wallet, explain them they can never ever give away their recovery seed or private key, make sure they have a safe setup, explain to them that transactions are irreversible and they cannot invest money they're not willing to lose... And that's about it (i guess).

Great, these are all things that I also want to say to those who are new to bitcoin. There is no need to explain or give too many lessons to beginners, these are sufficient to get them started using bitcoin and once they have grasped these basics, if they want to go deeper into technical or investment then let them decide for themselves.
legendary
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I am also one of those who are excited to share or introduce Bitcoin to my friends when I first know it.  But the problem is those who have digital literacy are quite uninterested and those who are interested are the ones who don't have a good foundation of technical stuff.  I found it tiring and at the same time annoying because I need to spoonfed them about everything.  So after I have done my part (taking responsibility since I am the one introducing Bitcoin to them), I avoided sharing anything about Bitcoin, if anyone asked me I just give them links to look at and tell them to study them if they are interested.



Anyway, we can always start with the usage of Bitcoin, we do not need to explain the whole details of the technical aspect of bitcoin.  just the basic stuff is ok.  They will learn the advanced course if they got interested and while they are using Bitcoin.

Video about the basics of Bitcoins
Brief explanation and usage of Bitcoins
A couple of videos about a wallet installation, and one good wallet is enough, too much information about Bitcoin wallet will confuse them. ( they will learn the variety of wallets as they use and transact with Bitcoin)
Video on the importance of saving wallet seed phrases and the importance of keeping the private key a secret.
Video on how to make Bitcoin transactions, receiving, and sending Bitcoins.
And places where they can spend Bitcoin.

Once they have a grasp of this stuff, they can move forward to learn the more advanced stuff regarding Bitcoin or Bitcoin economy.

legendary
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The first thing you need to tell such people is that since they already don't understand all other things they use on a daily basis (from their smart phones and all the apps on it to their credit cards and the complicated banking system) they also don't need to know the technical aspects of bitcoin.
Stick only to the basics, learning about bitcoin should be just like learning about how to work with a computer or a smart phone for the first time. You don't know what code is being executed on your device's CPU or how it is executed, so you also don't know what happens behind the scene when you click the "send" button in your bitcoin wallet or how mining works, etc.
For me also this is the same way of telling someone about bitcoin who is completely unaware about the technical aspects and how all the mechanism is designed in the backend.If you see bitcoin is mixture of technical things like private keys,SHA-256 algorithm and much more but who are ignorant to simple app working over the network connectivity will find it hard to understand if we introduce them directly with coding structures.

So first of all I ask them if they ever heard about the term bitcoin or cryptocurrencies and if so what do they understand from it? Some people I have met have assumed them to be physical coins like fiat only as they have heard it's new currency so you see they only need to know the basics about it in the first end.So the simple is tell them it's like digital money only not in physical format and you can transfer money through your wallets to anybody globally with basic understanding of how to send and receive money keeping their seeds phrases safe.

Then comes up resources that can help them like articles,books and some videos by Andreas could help them so once interested they will start gaining knowledge about it themselves and technical part will be understood to some extent if not completely and that will be enough for them to keep using it.
sr. member
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actually many people are interested in learning about bitcoin or digital currencies, but most of them expect instant results so it's quite easy to give up when they can't achieve their desires.  it is undeniable that when ordinary people are involved in this industry they need real evidence to be able to make a profit, they are easily attracted because they are tempted by bitcoin which has a fairly high value, but can't wait to learn the process
full member
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And so have developed interest and had asked me to introduce to them what's it's all about and that they would want to get involved too, of which I was glad to see them show some interest but the challenge am having about the whole stuff is that they don't have digital literacy not even a foundation I can build on, as they are just these local craft skilled workers who have only but engaged almost all their life into their area of skill.

For days now, I have exhaustively given explanations to them about what the forum is all about and how it works. Even clearly establishing to them to the extent I know about Bitcoin currency and how the system operates but seems like I was speaking to them in a different language, one that's confusing entirely. And I currently don't know any means to use in explaining to them what I know.


For it's currently giving me a lot of concern!
Start with something non-technical that everyone can relate to. Tell them why you’re into Bitcoin and what it empowers you to do. And ask them questions too, see where they’re at mentally and see what specifically catches their interests. If they’re craftsmen they will understand some concepts like the value of work, building things that last and function properly, the importance of not relying on bureaucrats already, you can use analogies that are relatable to their craft and make it more understandable.

Everyone can relate to motivations and goals, Bitcoins could sound too good to be true for a beginner that doesn’t know how things work. This is where technical knowledge shines, when you can actually get some scepticism and counter arguments out of the way by knowing how and why things work.

Also just keep it fun and challenging, not everyone will get it directly and it’s fine. One step at a time, this is a complex interdisciplinary topic that goes against the status quo. 
hero member
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It will be little bit difficult. But, doesn't mean that it is impossible.
As long as they have willing to learn about Bitcoin, we can start teaching Bitcoin with something very easy. First, maybe we need to explain online technology and Bitcoin from the common knowledge. For firstly, I suggest that you don't need to explain the technical about Bitcoin because they will be nonsense. They will probably feel so hard to accept the information. That is why you need to start from the easy information about what is Bitcoin, by telling them with very simple conversation or example.
sr. member
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All depends on the level of knowledge of these people. We'll have a different approach towards people who use Internet sporadically and those who don't use it at all.
Their age, background, drive and ability to learn new things have a huge impact on the way we'd teach them about bitcoin. You have to know if you're talking to a child, a teenager, a middle-aged person, or a senior and all cases will require a different approach. This is such a broad topic that one could write a book trying to answer it.
You would really need to be that versatile and it would really be just common sense that you do need to adjust depends on whose the one you are facing with whether they do have digital literacy or not.

You would adjust and its up to your own way or method on how you would introduce bitcoin to other people and the most important thing is that you should stick with the basics.

Make it simple as you could on which they could easily to understand and gradually step up into further details but if they do end up on getting confused into something
then put some emphasis into that.
hero member
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not your keys, not your coins!
~snip~
I agree with mocacinno. Especially since knowing all details of the technology is not required at all to introduce people into the concept of what Bitcoin is and how it can be useful to them.

Because that's what ultimately matters. What's the use of some super cool new (or not so new, but you get the gist) thing that I don't really need in my life?

These days, when speaking to absolute Bitcoin newbies, I try to gauge whether they've got any issues with the current system. And it turns out most do! Most people have experienced account closures, chargebacks, cards not accepted globally when travelling and high monthly fees.
If it turns out they do see issues with the money being centrally controlled, not internationally usable, with outrageous fees for international bank transfers and it losing value each and every year; then I can proceed to present them how Bitcoin is different in all of those aspects.

Technical questions are usually sparse and come last.. Tongue
hero member
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I personally think that this would pose a challenge to explain the basics and fundamentals of cryptocurrencies to someone who has no digital literacy, unless they are seriously keen about learning them.

I remember, I tried explaining BTC to people who first heard it but they soon lost interest during my explanation. You can actually see the that they are not interested and everything just sounded so technical to the point that I even lost myself in the process. But, there are ways in order to at least lessen the burden especially by using non-technical terms and using metaphors to make it bearable.
sr. member
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That actually gives them curiosity and interest if they clearly understand it but the problem is with their position. They don't have the tools and gadgets for them to try in an actual scenario which I think is the easiest way to teach these kinds of people. It can't just be done to education and giving books to read as it is only forgotten.

I really find it hard and our effort and time might just be wasted after all. If I were you, I'd just pick some of them, probably those young minds as I believe they are easy to understand.
legendary
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The truth about cryptocurrency is, it grows on you. Your level of exposure matters. I knew almost nothing nothing I started crypto and it felt like a whole lot when I imagined how far it has got over the years and I was just starting but I understood one thing, you can never learn it all and understand at a goal.
Be sure to mentor them all the way, you keep repeating it to them starting with the very basics like, what is bitcoin, a little lesson on bitcoin, you give them a chance to be curious and find out what they could know, encourage them to pick interest in bitcoin related topics where ever they find them and be sure to explain to them some terminologies to the field and they would follow.
hero member
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People that you think have nothing on digital world right now, doesn't mean that they are idiots. Which means that if you teach them the basics of it small by small, they will understand what you are talking about if they care, so you need to make sure that they actually care about it.

Their regular job could be related to crafting, but that doesn't mean that they can't understand a lick of crypto or computer skills, they already learned a skill and making money from it, so understanding computers or how the bitcoin world works doesn't mean anything wrong. This is why I believe that we should be just working towards making them care, since if they care, they have the talent to understand it.
copper member
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You don't have to explain them the stuffs about bitcoin. Just show them how bitcoin is used. Teach them how to create a wallet, how to send and receive bitcoin and how to keep their wallets/bitcoins safe. Tell them it's the same as sending/receiving money with Paypal. No need to tell them about the technical stuffs now since all it will do it confuse them and they will end up thinking bitcoin is very complicated. Once they start using bitcoin, I am sure they themselves will start learning more about it.
legendary
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All depends on the level of knowledge of these people. We'll have a different approach towards people who use Internet sporadically and those who don't use it at all.
Their age, background, drive and ability to learn new things have a huge impact on the way we'd teach them about bitcoin. You have to know if you're talking to a child, a teenager, a middle-aged person, or a senior and all cases will require a different approach. This is such a broad topic that one could write a book trying to answer it.
legendary
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I think that explanation of a topic can be on various levels, and it should depend on how much people already know, how much they'd like to know, and for what purpose. If it's merely to know how it works, it's one thing; if they intend to buy and store some coins, explaining wallets, passphrases becomes a must. It's important to speak the language of the people you're talking to and dumb it down if necessary. Also, if people are way too far from it, it's not worth going into detail at all. For example, I have a grandmother who does not use the Internet or a smartphone (only one app where all she does is clicks on the 'call' button to call me). She has no idea how the Internet works, what are websites, apps, social media, browsers. So when I talk to her, I just say "on the Internet" whenever anything is online because for her more details don't matter and only make things difficult. And Bitcoin is "digital money", which you access using the Internet and a computer or a smartphone, that's it.
If people want to know more, you can give them more. But if a person has little understanding of digital world, then before getting to Bitcoin, you need to explain other things. I guess the op's case is not a case with near-zero digital literacy, but still.
hero member
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Interesting question and this rally happen to me a few years ago when I was trying to explain bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to my old uncle, he had no information about bitcoin and no information about the new technologies I tried so hard to explain him everything very simple but I failed and I the end he reacted just like warren buffet he told me bitcoin worth nothing. So, in my own idea for some people, it's hard to understand bitcoin because they have no knowledge about it.
legendary
Activity: 2576
Merit: 1248
Based on the idea of bringing Bitcoin awareness to everyone's doorstep so as to  encourage popular and widespread a acceptance

 Tell them just that there is no bank/governance that can take control over their funds!!  Grin Grin





Except from the one collegue who is jealous of the fact that i've made some profit and is constantly repeating every bad news article he reads (ignoring all other articles about crypto),

 The kind that if you tell him about bitcoin he say that the time for it was in 2013 !  Grin Grin
hero member
Activity: 952
Merit: 662
Most of people already heard about a word of Bitcoin especially they have cellphone and internet access, if they still not know Bitcoin at basic and didn't ever buy Bitcoin, then it's their choice of not knowing Bitcoin. What's the advantages if I teach Bitcoin to random person? only encourage more people to buy Bitcoin and help mass adoption. Then what the disadvantages that I would get in the future? It's too many e.g. blackmailed, $5 wrench attack, begged, etc etc.

Why should I risking my privacy and my life for this only?
legendary
Activity: 1512
Merit: 7340
Farewell, Leo
I just give them a few masterpieces-articles to read, such as:


Except from the one collegue who is jealous of the fact that i've made some profit and is constantly repeating every bad news article he reads
That sounds horrible. I'd get rid of him and his toxicity the soonest possible. I've stopped enduring no-coiners, and it has been a great decision so far.
hero member
Activity: 1722
Merit: 801
Start with decentralization of Bitcoin
Bitnodes: https://bitnodes.io/nodes/live-map/
Bitcoin Mining map: https://ccaf.io/cbeci/mining_map

Continue with its Controlled supply

Teach them the importance of owning a key of your coin. With banks, you don't own your money. Banks and governments own it. They can credit it to your account or reject to credit it to your account. They can freeze your bank account and steal your money.
hero member
Activity: 2366
Merit: 594
For days now, I have exhaustively given explanations to them about what the forum is all about and how it works. Even clearly establishing to them to the extent I know about Bitcoin currency and how the system operates but seems like I was speaking to them in a different language, one that's confusing entirely. And I currently don't know any means to use in explaining to them what I know.

This is what i've experienced when I was at college when my classmates are asking me how do I earn from this bitcoin stuff and this forum. No matter how hard or how simple I explain to them, they still don't understand it because they are not really interested about what is bitcoin. They are only interested on the "earning" part. What I did was I only give them the answer they want, no further explanation anymore until they stopped asking me about it.

If they are really interested about learning bitcoin, they will research it themselves about the technical stuff and will only ask about your personal experiences with it so they can learn from you.
sr. member
Activity: 1344
Merit: 459
Vave.com - Crypto Casino
It's very difficult to introduce bitcoin to those who don't want to learn and don't like using smartphones and the internet, even they are difficult for us to talk to about bitcoin and the crypto world, because they are always proud of the results of their hard work, I've tried to convince them about the world of bitcoin and show the results that I have gotten while playing bitcoin, but they still don't want to learn, there are also friends who want to learn but they want instant results, when they don't find the results of what they have learned, they finally come out and no longer want to learn about bitcoin, because if we learn about the world of bitcoin we must be patient and should not despair.
hero member
Activity: 2912
Merit: 541
Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
I find it very difficult to explain to people who have no interest in bitcoin or are at least curious about what bitcoin is. They will not open their minds to accept new things because it may confuse them even though we have tried to simplify the explanation. Maybe if they are interested in bitcoin, it will be easy to start explaining it to them.

As for your problem, I think you can explain bitcoin in terms of investment and I think people will immediately think that investing is just a matter of holding on for a while. From here, you can give further explanations to buy at a low price and keep it and only sell it when the price increases high.
legendary
Activity: 3038
Merit: 4418
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There is no point of explaining and teaching them beyond what is necessary. If they are technologically illiterate to the point which they can't even use Paypal, Venmo then you would have to teach them those first.

Having to use or adopt Bitcoin does not necessarily mean that you have to understand all the nitty gritty details and it definitely doesn't mean that they would have to engage in any conversations about Bitcoin within the forum either. So long as there is an application that allows them to use Bitcoin like Paypal or basically any other payment processor, then they would be fine. There is little interest in the general population beyond how to use it.
legendary
Activity: 2072
Merit: 4265
✿♥‿♥✿
If your friends are familiar with the internet and are experienced users, it will be easier than starting from scratch. But everything needs to be done step by step. For starters, they need to be able to surf the net and tell them about internet safety.

Then invite them to the forum if you write that they are interested in it. Teach them the rules and let them communicate with everyone on the forum. Practice is always better than theory. Everything takes time.

And only after everyone has matured, having read the information on the forum, and having received help from you, will people be able to approach the practice of bitcoin. In my opinion, these are very cautious, not hasty steps. By asking your friends, you will understand that people understand how to ask and about what I think many here on the forum will also be happy to help your friends plunge into the world of cryptography.

The main thing is not to rush.
legendary
Activity: 2478
Merit: 1360
Don't let others control your BTC -> self custody
Some people are just beyond help. I know old guys who don't even own a smartphone. They don't use the Internet, they don't even have an online bank account.
It's about a number of steps a person has to take. If it's 1 step from using an online account to using an online wallet - most people can do it. The more steps they have to take in between the harder it becomes.
hero member
Activity: 1890
Merit: 831
Comparing Bitcoins with any asset works, telling them how the stocks are very similar but bitcoins is not controlled by anyone else, ofcourse they whales do have some amount of control but they can only put the price up and down by a margin since majority of holders are Honestly not keen on selling their bitcoins that soon. People like Mr. Satoshi are indeed not ever going to sell their coins and we also know a lot of dead wallets as well. Therefore explaining them demand and supply works, explaining them how it is affected by news and why it is a better option when compared to traditional assets usually comes with loads of questions but at the end of you can answer them positively you can successfully get a new trader/ holder.
full member
Activity: 1190
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PredX - AI-Powered Prediction Market
Years ago, they thought I was insane for just hanging out all day. I sit at my computer and refuse to go to work, and I really don't want to reveal my work to anyone, even if they are close. Then when they see that I'm rich enough to buy a lot of things and they admire me, they want to know why I got it, and it still seems a bit of a skepticism because they don't know what I'm doing to earn it. They are still curious that I can be richer than them, and they do not accept my learning to become happy. People always take pride in their small knowledge and look at other small things as if they are big. I sometimes wonder if in each of our lives that need a change that is not directed toward learning, it will be difficult to enter into the things that we dream of.
legendary
Activity: 3584
Merit: 5243
https://merel.mobi => buy facemasks with BTC/LTC
You should not introduce Bitcoin if they are not interested at all unless they are the one who approached to you about it because you can’t convert a person to have interests in Bitcoin if they don’t like this kind of stuff. I have many friends but no one becomes interested on Bitcoin because if technology but rather in the amount of profit I get on it. Now I’m regretful for telling them about Bitcoin because loss a pot of many due to bad investment which I don’t have any control.

I mean if you will introduce pd Bitcoin, Make the people will become interested on its technology and not the profitability because you will just produced cancer in Bitcoin market that talking all about price and react on every fud which typically you can always see on social media like Twitter. They are the product of the wrong teaching about Bitcoin,

I know the feeling... I regret telling one of my (technical) colleagues about my bitcoin hobby. Every time the local newspaper prints an article on how bitcoin's price is going down, he just comes to my desk with a big smirk on his face telling me my "magic internet money" is based on thin air and i'll lose every penny i invested (if the prices rise he just keeps quiet).

So far, i guess about ~20 ish of my friends, family members and collegues know i'm a crypto user (which isn't to bad since i've been in the community for ~8 years and i've switched jobs and citys during this time). Except from the one collegue who is jealous of the fact that i've made some profit and is constantly repeating every bad news article he reads (ignoring all other articles about crypto), nobody has ever shown any intrest.... and that's ok....
legendary
Activity: 3668
Merit: 6382
Looking for campaign manager? Contact icopress!
And so have developed interest and had asked me to introduce to them what's it's all about and that they would want to get involved too, of which I was glad to see them show some interest but the challenge am having about the whole stuff is that they don't have digital literacy not even a foundation I can build on, as they are just these local craft skilled workers who have only but engaged almost all their life into their area of skill.

I've met completely un-technical people who were asking even questions like "how are the bitcoins created" and "what makes them safe" which are somewhat beyond the shallow "I want to use Bitcoin, I want to earn from bitcoin" typology usually expected from newcomers.

So I'll come with something else: explain them what you can and how you can and when you get to parts you find difficult... just ask in Beginners & Help. You should get all levels of answers, some technical some not. (of course, you should search first if that question was already asked, to avoid some harsh answers too). They've already seen you using the forum, let's use it for their benefit too.
legendary
Activity: 3472
Merit: 10611
The first thing you need to tell such people is that since they already don't understand all other things they use on a daily basis (from their smart phones and all the apps on it to their credit cards and the complicated banking system) they also don't need to know the technical aspects of bitcoin.
Stick only to the basics, learning about bitcoin should be just like learning about how to work with a computer or a smart phone for the first time. You don't know what code is being executed on your device's CPU or how it is executed, so you also don't know what happens behind the scene when you click the "send" button in your bitcoin wallet or how mining works, etc.
hero member
Activity: 2716
Merit: 698
Dimon69
You should not introduce Bitcoin if they are not interested at all unless they are the one who approached to you about it because you can’t convert a person to have interests in Bitcoin if they don’t like this kind of stuff. I have many friends but no one becomes interested on Bitcoin because if technology but rather in the amount of profit I get on it. Now I’m regretful for telling them about Bitcoin because loss a pot of many due to bad investment which I don’t have any control.

I mean if you will introduce pd Bitcoin, Make the people will become interested on its technology and not the profitability because you will just produced cancer in Bitcoin market that talking all about price and react on every fud which typically you can always see on social media like Twitter. They are the product of the wrong teaching about Bitcoin,
jr. member
Activity: 116
Merit: 1
I faced this challenge when i was new to the crypto space, but if these your friend don't have basic standard education it will be a bit difficult.

they have sharpen their knowledge first. they have to start from the beginning acquiring knowledge of the internet and how the internet works.

to me that's the basic foundation. a new born baby starts with milk before solid foods are introduce later on.  
legendary
Activity: 3584
Merit: 5243
https://merel.mobi => buy facemasks with BTC/LTC
Over the years, i've given up on explaining technical stuff to non-technical users that basically just want to use a technology.

It's no use to explain to somebody how (for example) firefox is open source, and show them how you can patch said code and compile it... they just want a browser to look at [insert url here].
In my IRL job, i'm pretty sure not even the developers or power users know what OS their SAP instance is running on, let alone which relational database. They just don't care.. They want to start their pre-configured developement environment and start writing code, they don't care if SLES 15 SP3 is end of support in x months, or that hana 2.00.62.00 contains a bug and needs to be upgraded to 2.00.63.00. If they come to me, it's because their development tools showed an error, or their code compiles to slow, and they want me to fix it without telling them what i'm fixing, or why i'm fixing something.


Same with bitcoin: if your friends are interested in crypto, it's very possible they're interested in USING it, not in the technical background. In this case, i'd just explain them the difference between a custodial and non-custodial wallet, explain them they can never ever give away their recovery seed or private key, make sure they have a safe setup, explain to them that transactions are irreversible and they cannot invest money they're not willing to lose... And that's about it (i guess).

If they are interested in the technical background, i'd probably guide them to a beginners book or simple youtube video instead of trying to re-invent the wheel. Very smart people have invested tons of their time to write good books and make informative videos... No need to re-iterate stuff they have already presented in a newbie-friendly way.
Once they're on board with using crypto and they've read a couple of books/watched a couple of videos, they can always come to you with very specific questions.
hero member
Activity: 938
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Leading Crypto Sports Betting & Casino Platform
I have these friends which perhaps I refer to as "economic friends" of  mine, perhaps may be due to how out paths crossed. we met few years back when I had a work to be done and was in search of persons with the right skills to deliver such service within a framed period, and since then we have had a warm friendly relativeness.
Unknown to me that the few moments  these guys have being paying me some visits  at my workplace or home
they had at different intervals observed how am always spending some part of my day on a daily on the bitcointalk forum to either just read other users threads, make comments if necessary or at times create a thread of mine.

And so have developed interest and had asked me to introduce to them what's it's all about and that they would want to get involved too, of which I was glad to see them show some interest but the challenge am having about the whole stuff is that they don't have digital literacy not even a foundation I can build on, as they are just these local craft skilled workers who have only but engaged almost all their life into their area of skill.

For days now, I have exhaustively given explanations to them about what the forum is all about and how it works. Even clearly establishing to them to the extent I know about Bitcoin currency and how the system operates but seems like I was speaking to them in a different language, one that's confusing entirely. And I currently don't know any means to use in explaining to them what I know.

Based on the idea of bringing Bitcoin awareness to everyone's doorstep so as to  encourage popular and widespread a acceptance, I then felt the need to bring this challenge am facing to the forum, so maybe other users can proffer ways or possible strategies someone like me can employ to explicitly educate to the understanding of these friends of mine that have no digital literacy but have developed interest to know what I know Huh

For it's currently giving me a lot of concern!
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