Last week, I helped my son donate to a project I work with through Devcon SEA’s quadratic funding round (https://lnkd.in/g4iiC8xH). He is pretty crypto-savvy, but it was still a process. I sent him this message:

“You have now (again) used your non-custodial wallet, which gives you full control of assets without any intermediary or controlling group able to freeze them. You have also transacted on a layer 2 chain called Arbitrum, which uses optimistic rollups to provide security through the Ethereum chain with almost no fees and fast transactions. (Doing this on the Ethereum mainnet would cost $15-100, depending on timing.) You have donated to a project through a quadratic funding protocol that is managed by a smart contract and set up by a DAO, ensuring your donation is weighted for a number of people (democracy) instead of just providing matching donations based on dollar amounts. The proof-of-personhood distinction necessary for this process was granted to you through a social network protocol (BrightID) instead of using a government-issued ID or biometric data. Your donation was made using a protocol-executed/DAO-controlled crypto-backed stablecoin. You were able to vote in a way that ensured your voice was heard, no one could stop your vote, no government or authority had to give you permission, and no one had to know your real name or ID. This is why crypto is so powerful.”

Nowhere in this process did we mention a moon 🌕, lambo 🚗, or yolo 🎢. I agree that the investment elements of crypto have been big, but they aren’t the most exciting or powerful part.