Kids Want Bitcoins

I don't think Satoshi Nakamoto ever thought of himself as a marketing genius, but he very well might have been. I got to wondering today, if Bitcoin might appeal to the younger generation; without a doubt, the answer is yes.

1. Kids and Teenagers Embrace Technology - You don't have to convince a kid that they should have the latest phone or gadget; they always want the latest phone or gadget - after all, it's probably not their money they're spending, and more often than not, their parents are willing to oblige.  Something about being young gives you super-powers when it comes to technology.  I remember being the go-to kid when the VCR flashed 12:00.  Today's generation of youth comes standard equipped with a smartphone, the exact platform needed to proliferate Bitcoin.


2. Bitcoins are Rare - Kids love to collect things, especially if they're rare. Bitcoins are rare; there will never be more than 21 million of them.  Imagine if you're a kid and you have a Bitcoin, knowing that only a small fraction of all of the kids in the world could ever have a Bitcoin; you'll want to have as many as you can get.


3. Kids Love to Earn and Save Money - I remember when my father opened my first savings account for me.  I was enthralled with watching my bank balance increase every time my bank book was updated.  If I was ten years old today, and I had a Bitcoin wallet on my smartphone, I would do everything I could to make the balance increase.  I would want to do so many chores around the house that I'd probably clean the whole place twice, just to see Bitcoins appear in my wallet.


4. Kids Love to Text - Remember when people used to call each other with their phones?  Now what do people do - they text.  Texting has become an extremely popular method of communicating, because it's easier to communicate with someone when you don't have to worry about them being busy or near their phone, like with voice. Our methods of communicating have become incredibly efficient, yet not-so with transferring money. Sending money with Bitcoin is to traditional methods of money transfer what texting is to voice calls. Just like with texting, kids will be the first to embrace instant money transfers with Bitcoin. They will pay each other for a million different reasons; dares, baseball cards, toys, borrowing things, secrets, bets, etc. Best of all, when you do it with a phone, you can hide it from your parents or teachers; you can do it in secret (like texting) - kids love that sort of thing. Also, when you're young and without a car, you might not be able to get to an ATM to get cash; not a concern with Bitcoin.

Once the mobile Bitcoin apps get cleaned up and become more reliable, I can almost guarantee that a larger proportion of the younger generation will pick up on Bitcoin long before most adults. I wouldn't be surprised if, this very instant, developers are working on youth-targeted apps - if not, they would be missing out on a great opportunity.

Posted in: efficiency,kids