What is Blockchain?
And Why Should You Even Care?
I have gone down the wormhole of Blockchain and Crypto. It has been something that I have wanted to learn more about blockchain. Over the past month, I have what taken the plunge.
Are you already an expert… well, you will probably think this is elementary. If you are like me—curious and people assume you know all about this, this series of posts may be of interest to you. Over the next couple of weeks, I will delve into what Blockchain is, how was it created, how it works, and how to get into Blockchain.
Full disclosure - I am no expert - I am learning and thought maybe soe of you would like to learn with me. In this first post in a series, let’s examine what is Blockchain??
If you are a blockchain expert, feel free to comment additional resources.
What Is Blockchain—and Why Should You Even Care?
Let’s start here: this isn’t a post for crypto bros or folks who have been into Blockchain for years. If you’ve ever heard the word blockchain and quietly nodded while having no idea what it really means… this post is for you.
I’m going to explain blockchain in a way that makes sense—no computer science degree required. No charts. No confusing acronyms. Just the basics.
The truth is: you don’t have to understand everything about how a car engine works to drive a car. Same with blockchain. But if you’re curious about where technology is heading (and how it might shape your life), it’s worth knowing what’s under the hood.
Okay, So What Is Blockchain?
At its simplest, blockchain is a way to store and share information—you may be asking, what’s so special about that? I’m glad you asked… unlike other solutions that have been around for years, with Blockchain…
No one person or company owns the data.
Everyone can see it.
And once something is added, it’s pretty much locked in.
Think of it as a notebook that everyone can write in, but no one can erase. Every page has a timestamp. Every change is visible. And copies of that notebook are instantly shared across a whole network of people. That’s a blockchain.
Still confused? Think of it like this:
Blockchain is a digital record book that’s shared, tamper-resistant, and updated in real time by a global group of people.
Blockchain is an immutable digital ledger that supports secure transactions. It consists of a network of computers that all help record, store and verify data, making it decentralized by nature.
Why Should You Care?
You may be thinking… “Just what I have been missing in my life! A decentralized ledger.”
But here’s why you might want to care:
1. Trust Without the Middleman
Traditionally, we’ve relied on banks, governments, or big companies to prove things. We look for them to verify things like the amount of money in the bank, that we actually own a house, or that we signed a contract and it is enforceable. Blockchain flips that. It says, “What if we could build a system where trust is baked into the technology itself?”
2. Ownership in a Digital World
You own your house, your car… but what about your digital identity? Your photos? Your medical records? Blockchain provides an opportunity where you actually own your digital life—and can take it with you wherever you go. It’s automatically shared across a decentralized network. If one node goes down, there are others where identical copies are backed up.
3. It’s Already Being Used in Quiet, Powerful Ways
This isn’t science fiction. Blockchain is already being used to:
Track food from farm to grocery store, enhancing food safety and supply chain transparency.
Authenticate diamonds to avoid conflict stones.
Manage healthcare records securely, giving patients control over their data.
Power transparent elections in pilot projects.
But Isn’t It Just for Crypto?
For the longest time, I was afraid to talk with people when the topic of blockchain came up… because, while I knew it was more than crypto, it’s really the only use case that I understood (and I really didn’t understand that). While Bitcoin was the first major use of blockchain, the technology has outgrown its crypto roots. Today, it’s the infrastructure behind new kinds of apps and organizations—like:
Decentralized social media platforms
Peer-to-peer lending
NFT (non-fungible tokens) marketplaces
Smart contracts (digital agreements that execute themselves) - these are really interesting to me!
Blockchain in 7 Minutes
Common Misunderstandings
Let’s clear a few things up before we go further:
Blockchain is not the same as cryptocurrency. Think of blockchain as the highway, and crypto as one type of car on it.
It’s not all about getting rich quick. Sure, some people treat it that way. But the technology itself? Much deeper and more useful than just price charts.
You don’t have to be “into tech” to get value out of it. You just have to be curious.
What This Series Will Cover
This is the first of several posts to walk us through things like:
What blockchain is (and isn’t)
How it came to be (history)
How it works (using plain language)
Real-world examples that actually matter
How to get started safely (if you want to)
What to watch out for, and what to ignore
Next up: Where did all this start? (Hint: it has something to do with a mysterious figure named Satoshi.)