Blockchain Naughty List

I proposed on Twitter a list of the most misused words in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space.

My list was Immutable…Trustless…Game theory…Smart contracts…Cryptocurrency…Blockchain…

Not surprisingly my list was wholly inadequate. I omitted several words that are constantly misused. Thankfully, many people chimed in to round the list out.

Middleman…Distributed…Transaction…Ledger…Mechanism design…Decentralized…Censorship resistant…Disintermediation…Anti-fragile…Secure…Advisor…

I know I’ve misused all of these words. There are probably more words that should be included.

Generally speaking, I think the misuse of these words is a consequence of this being a new industry that is ridiculously multi-disciplinary. It is very easy to be imprecise when talking about the concepts involved in the space. Plus, no one in this space is an expert in all the different disciplines at play.

Basically, we should all probably tighten things up and keep on learning, because I think Angela Walch is right about how people are currently incorrectly using the jargon that makes up this space.

“Basically any word that describes how the tech is beneficial or what its characteristics or capabilities are.”