Why Misinformation Dominates The Crypto Conversation

2026-02-04 02:51:14

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The other day, I had one of those conversations that sticks with you-not because it was enlightening, but because it reminded me just how much noise I've internalised on this crypto journey. It was with someone I genuinely respect, who is older, smart, accomplished and grounded. But he does tend to believe everything the mainstream media tells him. And when the topic of crypto came up, it was like he was reading from a playbook called 'Mainstream Media Talking Points-Crypto Edition'. He told me it was for criminals. That it wasn't“anything.” That it was far too risky. (Okay, that part is almost true.)

When I gently explained that the global financial system is steadily moving onto the blockchain, he looked at me with polite confusion-not curiosity. When I mentioned how transferring money is still clunky, slow, and expensive, he shot back:“I can transfer money between my own accounts quickly and for free.”

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And then, friends, I was at a loss for words. Because on the micro level, that's true. You can send your money from checking to savings with a few taps. But that is worlds away from what happens on a macro level. International payments are still plagued by delays and fees. Business-to-business transactions rely on archaic third parties and reconciliation systems. The whole system is slow, bloated, and weirdly expensive.

In that moment, I realised: My first mistake in crypto has always been getting excited and talking too much to people who don't understand it. My second mistake was listening to people when they spouted their IFUD (Ignorance, Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) all over me. I've listened to a lot of people in this space. Too many. And most of them had no business guiding anyone.

I listened to a financial expert tell me that no one should get into crypto without learning everything about it first. As if the best way to learn a new language is to memorise the entire dictionary before speaking a single word. If we applied that standard to anything else-parenting, cooking, driving-we'd never do anything. You learn by doing, and that involves making mistakes. I've listened to my own financial advisers, knowledgeable in their own world, completely dismissive of blockchain. I've watched them wave it off as a scam, a bubble, a“fad.” I've heard top voices at the world's biggest financial institutions roll their eyes at crypto-all while they were accumulating and building it behind closed doors.

I've listened to people panic-saying the sky was falling every time the market dipped. And I let that fear creep in, even when I knew better.

I listened to people shilling coins they were most likely paid to promote-without ever disclosing it. I bought into some of those tokens and became someone's exit liquidity. I listened to voices that never admitted when they were wrong.

I listened to people who said their way was best: dollar-cost averaging, swing trading, long holds, short selling, technical analysis, alpha groups. I went this way and that, trying too many strategies without understanding any of them deeply enough.

I've listened to my own father grow visibly angry when I brought up the subject, thinking that with his background in business he would be interested, saying:“I don't want to talk about Bitcoin.” And I let that set me back, too.

Most of all, I listened to the subtle mockery whenever I expressed my curiosity about this space to people who just didn't have the capacity to receive it.

The difference now? I'm still listening-but I'm no longer believing everything I hear. And I'm definitely not listening to anyone who doesn't know what they are talking about. The more I learn, the easier they are to spot.

Listening was key to the rocky road of learning that got me here-but discernment is what's going to take me forward.

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