Die Vierte Regierungstrechnologie (The Fourth Government technology)

The Internet of Things is followed by the Internet of Values: Blockchain is a technology in peer-to-peer computing networks that uses cryptographic techniques to chain together blocks of data into blocks that can be expanded to any extent. As a form of decentralized accounting with automated authentication procedures, blockchains take on more and more tasks that were previously reserved for companies and state bureaucracies or were handled by markets. Blockchains also enable a new economy of attention. After all, they offer users the opportunity to directly offer their attention, bypassing intermediaries - and thereby question the business model of traditional media companies, which also include platforms such as Facebook. Originally developed by libertarian actors in the Darknets for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, blockchains have the potential to fundamentally change existing economic systems. At the same time, they are increasingly being used by governments and companies to rationalize processes and consolidate existing structures. What to expect from blockchain technology? Economist Jason Potts has been exploring its implications and perspectives at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology for several years.