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---
author: jeremy
title: 'Blockchain Is Love, Blockchain Is Life (Protocols Not Platforms Pt. 2)'
date: '2019-01-01 00:00:00'
---
Blockchain technology currently has a hype to substance ratio rapidly approaching infinity. And as a team of people who are skeptical of over 90% of proposed blockchain applications, we're hesitant to contribute to that (_ed.: wait until you see what I changed the title to_).
But there's one area where we think it is extremely plausible that blockchains will improve the world: the development of open standards and protocols, and consequently more user-friendly technology.
## The Status Quo
In [Part 1](https://lbry.io/news/every-major-tech-company-hates-you), we covered how existing tech companies demonstrate active hostility towards users. If you haven't read it or are not already convinced of this problem, start there.
So: platform = control = hostility
And: protocol = freedom = love & life
When things are developed as a protocol, there is no question that the abuse potential is lower, and the long-term user-experience is better.
The problem is that frequently a protocol never gets developed at all.
This is a problem of incentives. Building great technology takes time and effort, which means it takes money.
Tim Berners-Lee, who is widely credited as the father of the web, made a lot of people rich. But he wasn't one of them.
That's because Tim created HTTP as a protocol. That meant Tim didn't own it, and Tim couldn't make any money directly off of it.
So while protocols create better experiences, they often never get developed, because there is no funding or capital to drive the creation of them.
## The What and Why Of Protocols
Just what do we mean when we say protocol? And how is it different from a platform?
A platform means proprietary code running on servers controlled and managed by the company that created and owns the platform. It leaves the company fully in control.
Suppose I wanted to build my own interface for Facebook. Perhaps because I want actual control over what shows up on my news feed, rather than leaving it to Facebook's algorithms. Currently, it would be legally questionable for me to do this, and even if it were legal, it would be fully legal for Facebook to block my interface from loading "its" data.
But if Facebook was implemented as a protocol, it would mean an open standard that anyone can follow.
Anyone could write a Facebook view, or a Facebook app. If Facebook, Inc. wanted to start acting hostile towards its users, people would simply stop using the apps released by Facebook, Inc. and instead use ones made by other parties.
To be clear: this is possible today. It's been possible for decades. There's no technological barriers to creating Facebook Protocol, only ones of economics and incentives.
## Enter Blockchain
Now, suppose we wanted to create Facebook Protocol in a world where blockchain exists. Let's call it PeopleChain.
PeopleChain is a blockchain database that stores the same data that Facebook would. It stores profiles, posts, user friendships, groups, etc.
But because it is a _blockchain_ database, no one owns it. Anyone can access and read the data inside of it, and anyone can build services that use it (note: this doesn't imply some fully transparent version of Facebook, it would still be possible to have analogous privacy and access rules via encryption).
And in addition, because it is a blockchain database, it means that it utilizes some kind of blockchain token.
This token has value in proportion to the usage and success of the network.
This is a revolution in the incentives around protocol creation.
It means those that discover and utilize a new protocol or network when it is small and young can reap substantial value by being there first. This helps solve the incentive problems around being a first-mover and using an initially inferior service.
It provides a source of funding for the development of the protocol. The creators can use the token to pay for the salaries and equipment required to get it started.
It also aligns incentives: the developers have incentive to make the protocol maximally successful. If they take actions that users dislike, the service can be forked, and anyone can create a new version.