Nearly two decades after first reporting on Facebook while it was still largely unknown, a Canadian journalist is drawing parallels between the early days of social media and the current rise of blockchain and cryptocurrency.
In her mid-30s at the time, she recalls being encouraged by a younger friend to cover Facebook for a national newspaper chain. The story became one of the first mainstream reports in Canada on the platform. While her editors initially welcomed the scoop, enthusiasm quickly faded when she suggested further coverage. “One story is enough,” she was told.
That resistance, she argues, reflected the broader failure of legacy media to adapt to digital disruption. “They clung to a world where they told people what was important, rather than understanding that the people they served would now be doing the deciding,” she said.
Today, at 55, she writes the Crypto Chronicles column for Khaleej Times and views blockchain as the next transformative shift. “What’s happening now is bigger than Bitcoin,” she explained. “It’s about every government, industry, bank and company in the world needing the rails to get onto the blockchain.”
She cites Michael Saylor, co-founder of business intelligence firm Strategy, who has championed Bitcoin as a core asset for his company. Known for early bets on major tech firms like Facebook, Saylor advises investors to “find something everyone needs, no one can stop, and few people understand.”
Crypto educator Whitney Woodcock, CEO of Queen of Millions, echoed the urgency in a recent message to her followers. Based in Texas, she warned that delaying adoption could mean missing out entirely. “If you are someone who’s going to be like, ‘I want to adopt this later, when I have more time,’ you are going to miss out,” she said.
For the journalist, the lesson is clear: hesitation can mean falling behind. She points to her own early skepticism of Facebook and later crypto, and the importance of embracing change before it becomes mainstream. Quoting Susan Jeffers’ Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, she reminded readers that people often imagine only worst-case scenarios, overlooking potential benefits.
She encourages individuals to take small, consistent steps toward understanding blockchain and cryptocurrency, whether through daily reading or modest investments. “Commit to six months or a year,” she said. “When the time you set is up, you’ll not only be more informed, you probably won’t want to quit.”
In her view, blockchain is not just another trend but a foundational shift akin to the dawn of social media—one that demands attention now, rather than later.
