For blockchain technology to become mainstream, it must become "invisible".

Source: Cointelegraph Original text: "For blockchain technology to become mainstream, it must become 'invisible'"

Author: Mark Smargon, Co-founder and CEO of Fuse.io

The road to mainstream adoption of Web3 is filled with complexities, obstacles, challenges, regulations, and terms like "moment". From one perspective, this is a fact. But from another perspective: true adoption and transformation will be "invisible"—the mass integration of Web2 users into Web3 will be seamless, with not even a shadow of "blockchain" visible. Some technologies can only succeed by "disappearing."

So, how can the success of blockchain happen in our "invisible" circumstances? The approach is actually similar to the path other technologies take to become indispensable: hiding complexity under the hood.

Complexity is a barrier to user experience.

Whether you like it or not, Web3 is currently indeed burdened by various technical complexities. These barriers make it difficult for non-technical individuals to participate, although it is not entirely impossible. Therefore, the current active community is mainly composed of actively participating investors, gamers, and developers. However, this can hardly be called mass adoption.

Managing wallet keys and mnemonics, understanding the Gas fee structure, navigating various cutting-edge platform interfaces, connecting wallets, signing digital signatures... it's simply too cumbersome for some people. Imagine your grandmother wanting to start yield farming—can she figure it out? Probably not. If she can't, where does the problem lie? Not everyone possesses the technical literacy. We must abstract these complexities to truly make it accessible to all potential users.

Only "invisible" infrastructure can win.

TCP/IP and cloud computing support the entire digital world, but among end users, very few know what they are or how they work. These technologies have become "invisible." Blockchain technology will follow suit in the future.

Users do not need to understand or think about the complex internet protocols and infrastructure that support their digital environment, experiences, and interactions. Similarly, future Web3 users will not need to consciously interact with the blockchain.

Stripe is a successful example of an "invisible technology" provider. They simplified Visa's business model into a fixed 3% fee and integrated a world-class API interface. All of this is hidden in the background, yet it has achieved astonishing success - Stripe has become one of the most successful B2B2C fintech companies in history, with a transaction volume exceeding $1 trillion, accounting for about 1% of global GDP.

Stripe's achievements may have been difficult to realize before the emergence of Web3, which highlights its potential as a young company, particularly in contrast to platforms like Meta, Google, and Amazon. The reason they are able to attract massive users and generate substantial revenue and profits is precisely by hiding the complexity of the system out of the users' sight.

The practical path of "invisible integration"

The technical complexity must first be stripped away from the end user's perspective, such as hiding Gas fees and wallet management (or at least removing them from the UI). This means creating an extremely intuitive and familiar user experience that can easily pass the "grandma test." To achieve this, user experience must be prioritized over technical gimmicks.

Stripe also takes a similar approach: focusing on real problems (such as B2B2C payments), prioritizing practicality and using technology as a supplement to quietly address user pain points. They have won the market with a simple fee structure and by hiding complexities.

What do the skeptics say?

Some voices argue that the seamless integration of Web3 tools (decentralized) into Web2 platforms (centralized) goes against the core principles of blockchain, especially within the Ethereum community, where this view is particularly strong, as reducing intermediaries is central to the mission of network decentralization. They need to understand that true decentralization is not about creating isolated spaces or closed economic systems, but rather rethinking the future of technology, finance, and society to empower individuals.

New Web3 technologies will not eliminate all intermediary institutions, although this is not what everyone hopes to see, it will indeed drive changes in roles and business models.

What does "invisible" mean?

Making blockchain more accessible and hiding its complexity for business usability does not undermine its revolutionary potential—in fact, it enhances that potential. The needs of users always come first—as long as problems are solved effectively and "invisibly," there is no need to change user habits. Intermediaries do not necessarily have to be eliminated, as long as their roles can be reshaped to support the "trustless, immutable" characteristics of blockchain.

What end users desire is: the lowest learning cost, a smooth experience, and high efficiency—all of which rely on making blockchain interactions "invisible." If this is achieved, the low adoption rate of Web3 will be completely resolved, and Web2 will be surpassed within a few years.

What is the next step?

Web3 is not just a technological movement; it is also a cultural shift. When it becomes "invisible" and seamlessly integrates with the most popular Web2 experiences and platforms, it will ultimately achieve the goals envisioned by its original dreamers: truly widespread and profound transformative adoption. This revolution may not make the headlines, but it will happen quietly, and it will be a way that is both "slow and fast."

Author of the opinion: Mark Smargon, co-founder and CEO of Fuse.io

Related recommendations: Decentralized Finance (DeFi) must return to its P2P origins in order to achieve widespread adoption.

This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or investment advice. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and positions of Cointelegraph.