I’m am specially speaking about blockchains, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and the like, not IPFS, DHTs, or improvements to existing internet technologies (mutable torrents, webtorrent) to support decentralized storage, discovery, or name resolution. The “web3” nomenclature throws it all together, which is annoying. DeFi =! Dweb

What's the difference between the first group of technologies you mention, and the second, other than the fact that a large group of investors has piled onto the first, whereas the second is basically non-profit? Do you refuse to acknowledge the value-add to decentralization that the first group brings?

The difference is that decentralization doesn't have a system of inequality built into it's core principles. Web3 inherantly and explicitly refers to things that integrate with blockchain technologies, and more often than not, cryptocurrency. Of course investors would be more interested in a platform where their financial superiority carries over, it lets them game the system unlike an ambiguous decentralized protocol.

> Do you refuse to acknowledge the value-add to decentralization that the first group brings?

Decentralization needs the blockchain less than the blockchain needs decentralization.

> Of course investors would be more interested in a platform where their financial superiority carries over, it lets them game the system unlike an ambiguous decentralized protocol.

Short of a worldwide communist revolution, that's just going to continue to be the case for any up and coming technologies that make money. Who benefitted most from the enormous gains in tech stocks over the last 25 years? I'll wager it isn't the minimum wage employees.

> Decentralization needs the blockchain less than the blockchain needs decentralization.

Name for me any other way of transferring money to a stranger over the internet in a decentralized fashion. Name for me any other way of executing Turing complete code in a censorship-resistant fashion. These are two big parts of decentralization that crypto solves. Do you refuse to acknowledge that?

There's a reason the Silk Road only appeared after Bitcoin came on the scene. Tor's been around a long time, PGP's been around a long time, but Bitcoin was the missing puzzle piece. I'm not saying drugs are good, I'm just saying decentralization tech didn't reach the level required to implement Silk Road before crypto came on the scene.

I feel the same as you do about cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

My apologies for talking past each other.