SUB (Substratum) – Net neutrality is a hot topic right now. Even in the United Sates of America, “the land of the free,” net neutrality is being threatened. Blockchain technology has the ability to help us obtain an internet that cannot be regulated by large corporations, and this is why I think SUB will be extremely valuable.
SUB (Substratum) is building a decentralized internet. Yes, you heard me correctly! Substratum claims they “…are the foundation of the decentralized web.” This is an internet based on blockchain technology. Using a collection of nodes, information can be stored in small pieces all across the globe. As it says on Substratum’s webpage, this open-source network allows anyone to “allocate spare computing resources to make the internet a free and fair place for the entire world.” Also, they claim “anyone is able to host websites or applications using Substratum Host,” and “anyone viewing Substratum hosted content can see it in their regular web browser with no censorship blocks.” The network, as stated, will be “running a combination of blockchains, developed specifically for the decentralized web.” In addition, individuals running Substratum nodes will be rewarded cryptocurrency for serving content. This cryptocurrency is Substrate, the fuel for the Substratum network. Substrate is an ERC20 compliant token based on the Etherium network. In a nutshell, companies will purchase Substrate to compensate the information hosts. More information about this is available in Substratum’s white paper. Finally, one of my favorite points made my the team is that “anyone can publish, anyone can participate, and everyone can browse.”
These are huge claims, and honestly, my first response was to think the creators of Substratum were absolutely crazy. So, I decided to dig deeper into who is behind this network and whether or not I believe them. One important discovery I made is that Substratum actually raised more funds than they had anticipated with their Initial Coin Offering (ICO), which means there are probably quite a few people who believe in this network and want to see it succeed. Another discovery I made is that Substratum spawns from a software development team with reputable members located in the United States. Furthermore, considering what I have learned about this team, I believe they, and the technology they are developing, have the ability to actually succeed in doing what they claim. They are diving into a world of creation within the new paradigm of blockchain technology, and in doing this, are working hard to make their network easy to use for everyone, including the non-technologically advanced.
You may be wondering how using a decentralized internet could possibly be easy… Well, the ease of use comes from Substratum’s network actually integrating into your existing internet framework, making it extremely user friendly. This advanced network will reduce the costs of hosting information by using peer-to-peer hosting and billing. Also, there is no need for an API or Tor within the network. Although, there are a few requirements to run a Substratum node, such as the need for ports 80(HTTP) and 443(HTTPS), the set up should be simple. Knowing this, I encourage you to do your own research, including, but not limited to, reading their whitepaper, to decide for yourself if you like Substratum. I believe this network has plenty to offer, yet I also believe everyone should decide for themselves before investing.
To wrap up, I would like to say that I truly look forward to a day when large companies are unable to control us, as well as our media. A day when we as a global community are able to decide for ourselves what to watch, read, listen to, learn, teach and so much more. My ideal future is one where information and finances can cross borders without hesitation, manipulation, or censorship. The advancements being made in blockchain technology, including non-financial blockchains, are bringing this ideal future to the present. This idea fills me with excitement! The future is coming and it is arriving sooner than many are able to believe. With the mass adoption of blockchain technology, we are becoming a more and more decentralized world everyday. I believe Substratum is an innovative network that will help us change the world and will be a valuable player in bringing the future of decentralization into the now.
