Originally published on Yours.org on February 21, 2019.
So here we are, limping along. The “Aussie Man Bad” meme is going strong, a Lightning Torch bear market public relations exercise has been making its way around BTC twitter, and builders are building:
Despite some interesting (historic?) developments happening on BSV, especially in the last few weeks, I had to draw back from social media for a while. The aftermath of the November fork has been like a nasty divorce in which the exes shamelessly badmouth each other in public and fight over custody of the children. (I noticed that poor @eatBCH has been caught in the middle of some virtue-signalling tweets lately.) The BTC-BCH-BSV social media scene continues to be full of salty, defensive, combative toxicity, both overt and covert.
What might psychological first aid for post-traumatic forks look like? Upon researching this, the basic goals include creating an environment that:
1) provides safety
2) is calming
3) allows connectedness to others
4) enhances self efficacy
5) instills hope
For example, I was grateful to come across this heart-to-heart chat which illustrates the general vibe of such an environment.
Luckily, it looks like the success of Bitcoin depends more on MASSIVE scaling, transaction volume, and incentivized miners than on the commentary of salty twitter trolls. Devs who are able to collaborate in a climate of psychological safety can work towards common goals.
Still, this could take a while.
p.s. I am still trying to wrap my brain around what the heck a Metanet is supposed to be, and how it’s going to replace the whole internet, lol.