Abstract
A decade on since Satoshi’s Bitcoin paper, Blockchain is now considered to be sliding into the trough of Gartner’s hype cycle. Claims in regards to Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies being dead are on the rise, whilst at the same time many claim the contrary. The vague statement encapsulates many different aspects and perspectives of a myriad of use cases, technology and platforms including both the technique as a whole as well as individual instantiations. In this paper, we unpack the statement, break it down, and investigate objectively concrete factors which provide indication in regards to whether Blockchain is dead. We examine metrics including budgets and investment; public company registries and data; community engagement, projects, and source code repositories; academic research and programmes; social media posts; and public interest. We demonstrate metrics individually that indicate the respective measures’ healthy activity and come to the conclusion that the collective statement “Blockchain is dead” does not hold. A clear message extracted from the work proposed herein is that success is achieved where the community comes together rather than works in isolation.
Highlights
In this paper, we unpack the statement, break it down and investigate objectively concrete factors which provide indication in regard to whether Blockchain is dead
We aim to provide insight in regard to whether this is the case by investigating a number of different facets of the blockchain sector
Ethereum can be seen to peak during the beginning of the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) hype that started in Summer 2017, and again in late 2017 when Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general had seen a peak of interest
Summary
We unpack the statement, break it down and investigate objectively concrete factors which provide indication in regard to whether Blockchain is dead. The blockchain sector includes many applications beyond cryptocurrencies [1], and by including cryptocurrencies (and associated hype surrounding them) in this study, the results are influenced beyond what is otherwise pertaining only to the non-cryptocurrency blockchain sector In this first study, the aim is to look at the sector at the most abstract level (including cryptocurrencies). Death implies a permanent state of inactivity, a looser meaning will be used to determine whether or not blockchain is dead – if activity within the sector is drastically reduced (even if temporary) for the sake of reaching a conclusion in the current period under investigation it will be assumed that it is dead or on its deathbed
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
