Octogenarian in Line to Grab and Pass the Bitcoin Lightning Network Torch

The Bitcoin Lightning Network Torch experiment is an influential movement that was launched on January 19, 2019, by a Bitcoin enthusiast whose twitter handle is Hodlonaut. Those joining the experiment transfer a small amount of BTC using the Lightning Network to supposed trustworthy community members via an email chain letter.

Waking up to the Bitcoin Lightning Network

Individuals receiving and passing the torch are invited via Twitter to become the next torchbearer. Each time the torch is moved to a new person, the new person adds 10,000 Satoshis before they send 110,000 Sats to the next person.

The movement, which operates as a technological and social experiment, has been created to test the trustworthiness of the individuals and the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

The Bitcoin Lightning Network torch had been passed at least 187 times by 178 unique users by the end of last week and has been handled by ShapeShift CEO Eric Voorhees who received the torch from Tron (TRX) founder Justin Sun. Other prominent members of the crypto family who have dealt with the torch include Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, who passed it to Justin Sun after failing to receive a response from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and Tech leader Elon Musk.

Who’s Next in Line?

There is a lot of speculation by the community about who gets the invitation to pick up the Lightning Torch next. At a time when receiving and using bitcoin is a tricky affair for the average person, news that an 88-year-old grandmother has received the torch becomes exciting news.

The communication via Coin Gecko’s official Twitter handle stated:

Hey @Ibelite we just passed the #LNTrustChain ⚡️ torch to your grandmother! Pretty sure we created history here by conducting a Lightning transaction to the oldest living person at 88 years old! Glad to be part of this LN fun! 🐸😀@hodlonaut @starkness @labitcoineta https://t.co/JTo9eybsEX — CoinGecko (@coingecko) February 19, 2019

A Changing Narrative

While most users believe that there is a lot that still needs to be done to enable the masses to start using bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for everyday use, the possibility of an 88-year old sending the pioneer cryptocurrency via Lightning Network is going to change that narrative henceforth.

The common complaint that Bitcoin and similar projects are difficult to use, and therefore meant only for the younger generations who don’t have to struggle with this new concept will no longer be viable.

While Bitcoin may still be considered granny-proof at the moment, the ongoing Lightning Torch trial only proves that we are headed in the right direction, as far as adoption and inclusion are concerned. The torch represents a symbolic amount of BTC that’s being passed around to create awareness of the Lightning Network, the 2-layered solution that’s been designed to enhance Bitcoin transaction speeds and reduce fees.