Blockchain – Revealing the Myth (openHPI)

Blockchain – Revealing the Myth (openHPI)

In this course we want to explore the origins, goals, development path and fakes of Blockchain technology that have emerged along the way. More specifically, we will take a look at the initial idea of Blockchain and how it works. Then, we will examine which evolution it has run through from a decentralized registry to a world computer. Participants will get to know the challenges of Blockchain and Blockchain alternatives. Last but not least, we will explain how you can successfully use blockchain.

Between 15M to 39M search results offering an explanation of the blockchain on various search engines, up to 5M views on youtube have been reached by some videos on this subject, 1.8M members counts reddit Bitcoin community, some youtube blockchain channels have up to 277K subscribers. Information overload. Subconsciously, our attention is drawn to the reports that polarise: from “Blockchain - a Game Changer” and “Blockchain Revolution”, to “Has Blockchain Hit The Wall?” and “What's Blockchain Actually Good for, Anyway? For Now, Not Much.” The scary stories about Blockchain being used by criminals are common.

Like a snowball where new reports refer to earlier ones and everyone, consciously or unconsciously, adds their two cents, a new myth “blockchain” is born.
In the past, legends and myths were mainly passed on orally. Thereby they have changed from speaker to speaker. A “true core” surrounded by fantastical embellishment is still a popular and everyday form of storytelling today and leaves its traces right up to our digital age of social networks and “fake news.” 1 Only difference, the number of storytellers and the time it takes to spread the story increases dramatically. The narrative structures are transparent, anyone can intervene in it, however, a challenge is to evaluate the truthfulness of these information.
We have faced the challenge and revealed the myth surrounding blockchain technology for you. The origins, goals, development path and fakes of blockchain technology that have emerged along the way will be explored for you in this course. More specifically, the course deals with the following topics:

  1. Behind the term Blockchain (initial idea and the way how it works - by means of an example),
  2. Evolution of the Blockchain (from the decentralized registry to a world computer),
  3. Expecting a miracle: face the challenges or "elegantly" avoid them (challenges of Blockchain and Blockchain alternatives),
  4. How you can use Blockchain successfully.
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