Could the Movie Industry help Cryptocurrency Adoption?

While it often might not seem that way, movies and TV shows are an especially important vehicle for changing cultural patterns. This an often-quoted fact by many sociologists and historians, but it often ends up being, for the majority, something that only happened in the past.

For everyone living in the present moment, these products of mass-consumed art can end up feeling too disjointed between each other to provide any clear and culturally-relevant statement. However, this is a bias of being surrounded by all of these works of art and not having the historical distance to gauge which ones will survive thanks to some of their qualities and which will disappear after shorter or longer time period.

Today, one of the biggest cultural changes going on in the world does not have anything to do with arts. Instead, it is firmly placed in the domain of technology and economy – the phenomenon in question is the cryptocurrency market. Now, as a new movie about this topic is being made in the US, some are wondering what effect could this industry have on cryptocurrencies and the way they are adopted by the broader public.

Crypto: The Movie

This is not the name of the movie being made, but a part of it is. The actual name is Crypto and the indie film has some strong star backing behind it. One of the reasons why it ended up in the mainstream media is the fact that Kurt Russell will have a role in it, but he is just one of the Hollywood A-list actors.

Other big-league names include Luke Hemsworth, Alexis Bledel, and Jeremie Harris, among others. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the plot will not please many in the real cryptocurrency domain. The film follows a young agent working in the anti-money laundering department, who comes back home to New York. There, he begins investigating a case of fraud and corruption. It is safe to presume that cryptocurrency will play the role in the second part of the plot, mainly related to some kind of a criminal activity.

The producers are labeling the film as a thriller, similar to the movies The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Firm. Yet, they are underlying that it will have a strong crypto twist. They stated that the film will attempt to explore the realm of cryptocurrency in a way that has not been done before.

The producers believe that they will be able to delve deep into the field of crypto and provide both details and texture to the film that were not seen before. The indie film with a star-studded cast has begun shooting in New York City. So far, no release date has been set for it.

Bitcoin and Crypto in Movies so far

The producers of Crypto are calling it the most high-profile cryptocurrency movie to date. But it is not the only one that has used the topics of cryptocurrencies or more precisely, bitcoin. In 2017, Coen brothers, one of the most famous and highly-regarded directors of Hollywood, were working on a movie about the now-defunct Silk Road.

This notorious online market was known for selling all manner of goods and services, most of which were illegal. The currency used for all of the transactions was bitcoin, so the movie will likely feature it heavily. The same is true for Dope, a coming-of-age movie from 2015 where a group of teenagers begins dealing drugs using bitcoin as a payment means.

In other words, bitcoin is not news in the movie and TV industry, but the way it was presented is endemic to the entire mainstream media approach. This usually takes form in two alternatives. The first one is focusing on the quirkiness of bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general, where the plots feature them as something new, strange and wacky compared to the traditional currencies.

The other approach is a lot more problematic and it comes in most of the releases. There, cryptocurrencies, especially bitcoin as their most well-known representative, are portrayed as tools for criminals. Dope is a perfect example because it makes the connection like it is the most natural thing in the world – criminal online deals are paid using cryptocurrency. This is by far the most toxic problem for the digital currency community in this field.

A Positive Message

It might sound gloomy, but there are no valid reasons why the cryptocurrency domain could expect any kind of a positive exposition to its ventures. It is not that the movie industry is dead-set against it – quite the contrary. With new crowdfunding concepts, some of which include cryptocurrency donations in their offer, there is a big chance that independent films will be regularly funded using crypto.

However, the producers and the scriptwriters will continue to create content that they deem relevant to the audience. If there is a stereotype that crypto is used for criminal undertakings, then make movies that use bitcoin as that kind of a phenomenon.

This is not malicious, but simply a state of the shallow audience interests. A heavy Slavic accent and a suit mean a character is a mobster. An Asian teenager with glasses is a nerd. Bitcoin is used to trade drugs over the dark web.

All of these are stereotypes but the movies and TV shows are ladened with them and there cannot be many in Hollywood or other movie powerhouses that are actively thinking how all of the stereotypes can be disposed of. This is the reason why no positive message about the cryptocurrency industry will not come naturally and on its own steam to the global audience.

Documentaries before Feature Films

Like with any other means of promotion and drives to higher adoption, the key is for the crypto community to self-organize. In other words, the positive message has to come within the community and the best way to do this is to show in documentary style what it actually is. Similar things opened a lot of doors to other digital ventures like eSports, which is fast becoming a mainstream pastime.

The purpose of these films is not to skew the reality but to present the objective issues cryptocurrency concept has alongside many incredible benefits it brings as well. This way, the public can slowly get a more accurate picture of this crucial tech and why it will be so important in the years to come.