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Through these dozens of questions and answers, truly understand the views of local people in El Salvador on BTC

On June 9, 2021, the Salvadoran Congress voted to approve the proposal of Bitcoin as legal tender submitted by the President, and El Salvador became the first country in the world to recognize Bitcoin as legal currency.

By john smithPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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On June 9, 2021, the Salvadoran Congress voted to approve the proposal of Bitcoin as legal tender submitted by the President, and El Salvador became the first country in the world to recognize Bitcoin as legal currency. September 7, 2021 is the first day that Bitcoin officially becomes the legal tender of El Salvador.

  Facing the President of El Salvador, who is actively embracing Bitcoin, public opinion has shown various opinions. Previously, a poll conducted by the University of Central America (UCA) showed that most Salvadorans disagree with the government's decision to use Bitcoin as legal tender. Many people do not know how to use this digital currency and do not trust the project.

  Recently, Tux_fan, a local from El Salvador, publicly stated on reddit: I am from El Salvador, do you want to know what happened here! Bitcoin is now legal tender. If you have any questions, you can ask me. As an ordinary citizen, I would like to express my views.

  Want to know the true reaction of local people in El Salvador to Bitcoin adoption? The following is a real response from Tux_fan, a native of El Salvador.

  Question: Do you think people will hold bitcoins or convert them into U.S. dollars?

  Tux_fan: This is something we have to wait for. People are learning how to use wallets, and more are BTC... Some people don’t know about BTC fluctuations and start to complain about price drops... They are a minority, but Still so.

  Question: Are people visiting chivo to educate themselves? What about people who don’t have a bank account, do they see an advantage?

  Tux_fan: It is difficult to say at the moment. The "chivo app" (official wallet) has many problems, so not everyone is using it. In some places people will ask for information, but in other places no one will show interest... Maybe I can give you a better answer in a week.

  Question: It is generally believed that Bitcoin can provide "banking" services for people without bank accounts, which is out of reach for low-income groups. Have you seen the people of El Salvador accept this feature?

  Tux_fan: Not currently. There is also no education plan.

  Question: Which wallet is more suitable?

  Tux_fan: Most people only use "chivo app" (official wallet) because they don't really understand what encryption, wallets, etc. are.

  Question: Does it work smoothly?

  Tux_fan: The official wallet "Chivo app" has many errors and is slowly being released for Android. Most businesses are using other wallets. People with almost no knowledge are still waiting for the chivo app to function properly. So there are still not many deals.

  Question: Can you be more specific about the errors?

  Tux_fan: There are (still) problems during the registration process, and sometimes you cannot send money because it enters a loading loop. The application runs slowly, it takes some time to display your balance, etc. Changes are in progress, but there are still issues that need to be corrected.

  Question: I am from the United States and want to plan a trip this winter to show my support and hope to learn something. How friendly are local Salvadorans to foreigners who come to trade Bitcoin? Where do you suggest me to go? Interested in cultural experience, trade with Salvadorans, and nature (especially beaches and surfing).

  Tux_fan: We are very friendly to all foreigners. You can surf with the surfing world champion and buy anything you want with BTC. You can wake up in the mountains (um...volcanoes), have lunch in the city, and surf the entire noon to watch the sunset. It is a small country, so you can visit many places in just one day.

  Question: I have heard of many crimes and robberies against tourists.

  Tux_fan: Not true, as long as you use common sense. No one should walk alone in a suspicious alley with his Iphone pro max and his 14k gold necklace...

  Question: Is it better for your country to use your BTC as currency instead of a store of value?

  Tux_fan: Most of the problem with BTC is that people don't know what it is, how it works, etc. We will wait and see how it will develop in the future. Can't give you a better answer now.

  Question: Do you have TV advertising campaigns and educational content so that citizens can understand why? If not, this should be implemented as soon as possible.

  Tux_fan: This actually makes me very angry. From the moment of announcement to release, they have about 3 months. Except for some infographics on social media, they did not explain what BTC is and how it works. There are now some videos on how to use it, but nothing more.

  Question: Do people know the difference between Lightning Network and on-chain?

  Tux_fan: No, most people know almost nothing about encryption, wallets, etc. There is also no education plan.

  Question: What do most people there think? Have you seen it used in stores/businesses?

  Tux_fan: Big stores have accepted BTC since their legal tender, and they have legal obligations. However, most people, including some companies, are waiting for the "chivo app" to run normally, which has many bugs and has not been released for all Android devices. There are some small purchases here, but most of them are using the $30 provided by the government.

  Question: Do most people support it?

  Tux_fan: Currently, the official chivo application has many problems, but it is still not suitable for all Android users. We need to wait to actually observe how people react every day... but people are eager to give BTC a chance.

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