Ordinal Confusion Syndrome (ODS) is a real phenomenon

Ordinal confusion syndrome (ODS) is a real phenomenon. As an impartial observer at Bitcoin Magazine, I aim to address misconceptions and dismissive attitudes towards Ordinals in the Bitcoin community and reveal the overlooked complexities and potential of what I call ‘Ordinal Derangement Syndrome’ (ODS).

ODS has emerged as a significant phenomenon in one sector of the Bitcoin community, often characterized by an oversimplification and dismissive attitude toward Ordinals, which are inherently cavalier. As an employee of Bitcoin Magazine, who remains neutral on Ordinals but is tired of the unfounded criticism aimed not only at our publication but at Bitcoin innovation as a whole, I feel compelled to share my perspective. Contrary to what some may claim, our coverage does not obsess over ordinals or present coverage to an unreasonable degree.

Conversation about Ordinals among detractors often boils down to baseless accusations that scams or spam are clogging up the mempool. This reflects the “middle-of-the-road” mentality prevalent among certain Bitcoin influencers. These individuals ignore the intricate details of Ordinals and decide to leverage the topic for personal gain, such as gaining more followers or strengthening their online presence. Whether these actions are intentional or not, intentional manipulation is particularly serious and represents a superficial engagement with technology. This behavior fails to acknowledge the complexity of ordinal numbers, which requires more detailed and thoughtful analysis, and is therefore typical of ordinal confusion syndrome (ODS).

It is disappointing to witness some in the Bitcoin community engaging in such reductive discussions. Especially when you consider the thoughtful reasoning that attracted so many people to Bitcoin in its early days. This trend is likely to occur around 2020 when those who sympathize with Bitcoin (or the fourth-age class) and their understanding of Bitcoin become more and more literal about the “Bitcoin Standard” and Satoshi’s blog post on the Bitcoin Talk forum. This is most evident among those who have been greatly influenced by the interpretation. This approach, similar to the enthusiasm seen in religious fanaticism, has led to a distorted interpretation of Bitcoin maximalism and transformed it into the sole identity of its adherents. Sometimes, people exhibiting ODS appear to be secretly or unknowingly supporting Bitcoin Cash (BCash) or Bitcoin SV (BSV) based on their actions.

Here is some context regarding my personal beliefs:

1. Ordinal numbers (what many people refer to as JPEGs in Bitcoin) are stupid.

2. I understand that ordinal numbers have subjective value.

3. Ordinal numbers have brought Bitcoin scaling issues to the surface again.

4. Bitcoin is resistant to Bitcoin users.

5. Bitcoin is permissionless.

I have never owned, received a gift from, or attempted to own an ordinal or inscription.

Contrary to the perception of Ordinal and Bitcoin Magazine’s detractors, Ordinal accounts for a minimal percentage of what Bitcoin Magazine covers. Since the beginning of the year, Bitcoin Magazine has published 327 articles on its website, of which only five cover ordinal numbers, accounting for about 1.5% of the content published this year.

The navigation bar of our website contains sections on Articles, PROs (Market Insights), Store, Conferences, Mining, Learning, Books and Buying Bitcoin. Notably, Ordinals does not have a dedicated section. Of the 31 printed editions published, only one focused on inscriptions.

A recent print edition titled “The Inscription Issue” highlights inscriptions and ordinal numbers as central to important cultural issues within the Bitcoin community, hence why it is called “The Inscription ISSUE.”

Let me highlight some of our recent initiatives that demonstrate our broader key interests and focuses.

• We have partnered with the industry’s leading Bitcoin pooling operation. This collaboration is designed to provide new Bitcoin buyers with the knowledge and tools they need for self-storage, including setting up a multi-signature solution. For more information, see https://unchained.bitcoinmagazine.com/.
• Our largest content series includes a collaboration with one of the largest hardware wallet providers globally to promote technical content on self-storage best practices. For example, see “10 Steps to Sovereignty” at https://bitcoinmagazine.com/sponsored/understanding-your-bitcoin-keys-bip39-seed-words.
• We have also partnered with one of the largest miners to address mainstream Bitcoin FUD. See “FUD Fighters” at https://bitcoinmagazine.com/sponsored/mining-misinformation-how-the-united-nations-university-misrepresented-data-to-exaggerate-bitcoins-environmental-footprint.

Our conference team expanded the event to Asia and the MENA region, particularly China and the UAE. Our conference primarily focuses on the economic, energy and open source benefits of Bitcoin, which make up over 90% of the conference content.

At the most recent flagship event, Bitcoin 2023, Ordinals received some attention.

• Main stage: Only one of the 52 talks discussed ordinal numbers (the great ordinal debate), meaning that about 1% focused on ordinal numbers.
• Corporate Stage: Of the 16 Pitch Day applicants, one company presented on Ordinals (Ordinal Safe, which did not win) and two of the 15 talk tracks were focused on Ordinals, accounting for approximately 9%.
• Mining phase and open source phase: No focus on ordinal numbers.

In total, only four of the 128 tracks were included in the Ordinals, making up 3% of the overall conference program.

Now, I don’t want to speak at a Bitcoin Conference, but at Bitcoin Magazine, our goal is to cover all aspects of Bitcoin, including Ordinals. Overlooking Ordinals is irresponsible considering their impact on the chain, potential long-term consequences, and their role in changing UTXO and block space valuation.

As an independent media outlet, we provide a platform for everyone to have discussions that meet our open editorial guidelines so that individuals can draw their own conclusions. We lead the discourse and welcome competing Bitcoin narratives. When it comes to being selective, it’s no different than FOX News, CNN, or MSNBC.

Ordinal numbers are controversial, and more dialogue is needed to resolve the controversy. Withdrawing from meetings or criticizing an organization due to perceived “moral superiority” often reflects underlying issues such as pandering, dissatisfaction, or lack of intellectual rigor.

While some may interpret this perceived moral superiority as stemming from “compassion for those who don’t have coins or are new to Bitcoin,” this often reflects similar dynamics to American far-left progressive cancel culture, making the situation more critical. It is important to investigate. Comparing this political phenomenon to the politics unfolding within the Bitcoin community, we see the rise of “Bitcoin Workism” and purity testing, which are increasingly viewed as thought leadership. To understand the potential direction of this trend, we can look at the impact of cancel culture in the United States. Here, concepts such as DEI (safe spaces, diversity, equity, inclusion) and MAGA (Make America Great Again) are similar to the Bitcoin narrative.

• Safe spaces are similar to those demanding filtering of Bitcoin transactions. (#FixTheFilters) ‘filterbois’ can also be compared to supporters of COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
• Bitcoin’s universal potential for adoption and advancement has been overshadowed by pejorative accusations of fraud directed at those proposing scaling solutions. Similar to how DEI argues for fair outcomes, many Bitcoin users also argue that mainchain Bitcoin transactions are fair.
• Calls to solidify Bitcoin’s status quo echo the MAGA movement, which advocates no change or a return to “better times.”

Just as the far left used the term “Nazi” and disillusioned MAGA types thought the economy under Trump was “okay,” we saw the words “scam” and “spam” used in similar ways. I’m doing it. ” and “shitcoin” are mostly used based on opinion rather than fact.

This dilution of the term reduces its meaning and legitimacy, leads to inaccuracies in public discourse, and undermines the identification of real threats. This is unfortunate because within the context of Ordinal, there are real scams, including artificially inflated marketplaces and fellowship scams masquerading as the Ordinal project run by Bitcoin SV supporters. Rather than highlighting the differences and engaging in a discourse about the technological underpinnings and how we got here in the first place, the focus shifted to derogatory claims about Ordinals. This is a much bigger problem. I’m looking at you Bitcoin Twitter users who defended Taproot with the green square emoji!

ODS has also led to a tendency to use Ordinals as a basis and excuse to overlook non-monetary applications of Bitcoin, and this is a very serious problem. This view conveniently overlooks Bitcoin’s important innovations in leveraging stranded energy to reduce emissions and secure the network, while also enabling proof of existence, providing a timestamp solution, promoting a decentralized domain name system, supporting immutable messaging, and decentralization. It ignores Bitcoin features such as enhanced identity verification. .

Bitcoin is primarily money, but ignoring its other functions is short-sighted and wrong. Limiting our perspective to only the financial aspects is a limited approach, so it is important to acknowledge and explore the full spectrum of Bitcoin applications.

Moreover, the belief that Bitcoin’s global adoption will reflect the individual journeys of discovery of the 2020 (or fourth halving) cohort is a narrow perspective. It is important to recognize that the widespread acceptance and use of Bitcoin may be as diverse and multifaceted as its potential applications. Ignoring the evolving nature of Bitcoin adoption and utility risks alienating oneself from ongoing developments and conversations, especially in permissionless environments.

Canceling a discourse does not mean challenging it.

Don’t become a victim of ODS.