In Beyond the Bitcoin Bubble in the NY Times Magazine, journalist and entrepreneur Steven Johnson masterfully explains the potential of the blockchain to fundamentally re-shape the internet, break the stranglehold of mega-players like Google, Facebook, Amazon et al, and return the internet to its decentralized and democratic roots. The key is the current wave of development of new protocols facilitating openness and decentralization. Whether cryptocurrencies survive, their greater lasting impact will be the underlying blockchain technologies which could power an almost unlimited set of new applications that operate outside the control of any central authority or company.
