Today, the 11th of April marks the one-year anniversary of the YouTube channel Ivan on Tech. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure to come across it, Ivan on Tech is a channel dedicated to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. The YouTube channel has experienced a meteoric rise during the last 12 months, and the best is hopefully yet to come. However, the growth of Ivan on Tech also highlights a much more important issue – namely the importance of independent media.

To start with, the growth of Ivan on Tech has been truly spectacular. Since the first video was published exactly one year ago, Ivan on Tech has amassed a significant following of 161,838 subscribers and has racked up a whopping 7,306,120 in total views. Whilst this growth is impressive all on its own, it can in part be attributed to the growing public awareness of both blockchain and cryptocurrency.

The past year has seen cryptocurrency and blockchain transform from relatively obscure terms to full-blown buzzwords. Nonetheless, both concepts can be confusing, and this is only made worse by a myriad of different currencies available, as well as bewildering concepts such as hashrate, cryptojacking, or ICOs. Ivan on Tech provides educational, easily understood videos that cater to both cryptocurrency aficionados and blockchain beginners alike.

One of the main advantages with YouTube videos is that they are readily available to a large swath of the world’s population, and can be uploaded by virtually anyone. This becomes increasingly beneficial as the importance of independent media grows. This is especially the case in an age of polarizing ”fake news”, however, the benefit of democratic platforms such as YouTube is also further exaggerated due to the very nature of the blockchain.

Central banks and traditional institutions have long been inherently suspicious to cryptocurrencies, due to their decentralized structure. This was the case one year ago, it is still the case, and it will – sadly – probably be the case in one year’s time. While it is hard to blame central banks and regulators for being skeptical regarding the blockchain, this has also presented some difficulties.

Mainly, this development has shone a light on the importance of independent media. In many cases, established news sites have shrugged off cryptocurrency or blockchain news as irrelevant or simply catering to a small niche. Independent crypto news outlets have sprung up in their place, to provide blockchain news to those interested.

This has become increasingly apparent during the last year, with a growing interest among the general public in relation to cryptocurrency and the blockchain. YouTube is an excellent medium for educating and informing people about the traits of the blockchain, as well as what advantages and risks it may potentially hold.

Whilst Ivan on Tech constitutes a significant part of the blockchain media, the channel is also part of something larger. As the blockchain and cryptocurrencies aim to boost democratic decentralization, the likes of Ivan on Tech are themselves making strides in democratizing media, through independent news.

A diverse and healthy media landscape is essential to any modern democracy. Following the advent of online news, many traditional media corporations have been forced to scale down their operations, and are in some instances being consolidated to save costs. Independent media is there becoming an integral part to filling this void, and Ivan on Tech – along with other blockchain news outlets – are doing important work in informing the general populous regarding cryptocurrency and the blockchain.

With this being said, I believe congratulations are in order, both to Ivan on Tech in particular, and independent media in general. So, without further ado:

Happy birthday Ivan on Tech, and many happy returns!

Image Source: “Flickr”