Assignment 8: How have apps changed the digital delivery marketplace? What will digital currency be used for in the future?

I bought a phone with 256 gigabytes of storage so that I would have enough space to download any app I want. There are games, fitness apps, social media apps, banking apps, weather apps, and anything you can possibly think of is an app or is being made into an app. If it were not for apps, most people would not spend a lot of time on their phones. You could argue that people still use text messages but even for that many people rely on apps to contact their friends or strangers. According to the article, The Mobile Browser is Dead, Long Live the App, by Ewan Spence, “If you follow the principle that you need to be where users are, then you need to be building and distributing apps, which leaves you no choice but to accept that Google and Apple will always be the third party in any relationship with your customers.” He is referring to the business side of apps. He argues that if you break down the time people spend on their phone’s, they are essentially only using apps. So, if you are trying to reach a certain demographic with a product, apps might be your answer. I confess, I download apps if I see certain advertisements for it but might never use it. I think seeing your phone filled with apps somehow creates a sense of being busy, prepared, or a feeling of enjoyment because you have a lot of apps to choose from. This is great for businesses looking to create apps.

Apart from apps, digital currency has been gaining momentum. Perhaps you have seen the word Bitcoin in newspapers or have heard you friends talking about it. Bitcoin is a form of digital currency (electronic cash) that was released in 2009 . According to the article, The Fierce Battle for the Soul of Bitcoin by Robert McMillan, “The digital currency may have begun as an experiment for techno-libertarians and geeks, but today it’s growing into something much bigger.” You can go online and buy mattresses or laptops with bitcoin. Perhaps in a decade, bitcoin will be a regular form of payment (if regulation does not kill it first). This means you will be shopping online and could pay with bitcoin. It is still confusing to many people, including myself, so in order for it to become popular and considered a normal way to pay for things, more people need to talk about it. Regulation is still a threat, as governments are cracking down on it and deem it unsecure and as a possible threat to the economy. I believe it can become a normal form of paying for things but I think it is still in its baby stage, so it needs more time to grow. Just as no one thought social media would work and now it is everywhere, bitcoin could be the next big thing.

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