Competing imaginaries: Crypto-utopianism and the material forces of Bitcoin mining

IF 1.5 Q2 ANTHROPOLOGY Anthropology Today Pub Date : 2023-07-31 DOI:10.1111/1467-8322.12825
ADAM HAYES
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引用次数: 1

Abstract

Drawing on Marx's theory of history, this article argues that the competition and capital accumulation inherent in the production of Bitcoin (i.e. ‘mining’) are at odds with the narrative discourses that position Bitcoin as a revolutionary technology capable of subverting traditional power structures. Through an analysis of the evolution of Bitcoin mining, the article demonstrates how the material conditions of its production have shifted over time, leading to the concentration of mining power among a few large corporate entities and a concomitant erosion of the decentralized ethos that underpinned the early Bitcoin community. The article also argues that this shift is not simply a result of the ‘natural’ evolution of the technology, but also the outcome of specific social and economic forces that encourage the accumulation of capital over Bitcoin's democratic and decentralized potentialities. Overall, the article suggests that the narrative discourses surrounding Bitcoin need to be understood in relation to the material forces that shape its production and circulation, and that a more nuanced analysis of the interplay between material and discursive factors is necessary to fully grasp the dynamics of the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

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相互竞争的想象:加密乌托邦主义和比特币挖矿的物质力量
本文借鉴马克思的历史理论,认为比特币生产(即“采矿”)中固有的竞争和资本积累与将比特币定位为能够颠覆传统权力结构的革命性技术的叙事话语不一致。通过对比特币挖矿演变的分析,本文展示了其生产的物质条件如何随着时间的推移而发生变化,导致挖矿权集中在少数大型企业实体手中,并伴随而来的是支撑早期比特币社区的去中心化精神的侵蚀。这篇文章还认为,这种转变不仅仅是技术“自然”演变的结果,也是特定社会和经济力量的结果,这些力量鼓励资本积累,而不是比特币的民主和去中心化潜力。总的来说,这篇文章表明,围绕比特币的叙事话语需要与塑造其生产和流通的物质力量联系起来理解,并且有必要对物质因素和话语因素之间的相互作用进行更细致的分析,以充分掌握加密货币生态系统的动态。
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来源期刊
Anthropology Today
Anthropology Today ANTHROPOLOGY-
CiteScore
2.30
自引率
7.70%
发文量
71
期刊介绍: Anthropology Today is a bimonthly publication which aims to provide a forum for the application of anthropological analysis to public and topical issues, while reflecting the breadth of interests within the discipline of anthropology. It is also committed to promoting debate at the interface between anthropology and areas of applied knowledge such as education, medicine, development etc. as well as that between anthropology and other academic disciplines. Anthropology Today encourages submissions on a wide range of topics, consistent with these aims. Anthropology Today is an international journal both in the scope of issues it covers and in the sources it draws from.
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