Has Bitcoin accelerated the formation of 'borderless communities' within globalization?

It can be said that it is absolutely a catalyst, and a very important one at that. We can discuss this from several angles.

First, imagine in the past you wanted to send money to a friend abroad. You'd have to go to the bank, fill out a bunch of forms, pay hefty fees, and the money might take several days to arrive, undergoing various institutional reviews along the way. This process itself constantly reminded you: "national borders" exist.

But Bitcoin is different. If I send you one Bitcoin, and if I send one Bitcoin to my colleague sitting at the desk next to me, the operation is identical. Both just involve opening a mobile wallet, scanning a QR code, entering a password, and confirming. The entire process might take no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee, and the transaction fee has little to do with the amount you're transferring. It fundamentally disregards geographical distance and national borders. This is akin to how email revolutionized traditional mail; sending an email to a friend in Shanghai from Beijing feels exactly the same as sending one to a friend in New York. Bitcoin achieves a similar effect in the realm of money.

Secondly, it has fostered a "digital tribe" based on consensus.

People who own Bitcoin, whether they are programmers in the US, small business owners in Africa, or artists in Southeast Asia, often share a peculiar "sense of identity." They might all harbor doubts about the existing financial system, believe in the fairness of code and mathematics, and aspire to a state where personal assets are sacred and inviolable. They share common jargon (like "HODL," "Sats"), follow common influential figures (like Satoshi Nakamoto), and celebrate common holidays (like "Pizza Day").

This community, formed around shared values and beliefs, completely transcends national borders. People discuss market trends, technology, and philosophy on Twitter, Telegram, and Reddit, feeling like villagers chatting, without ever considering each other's nationality. This spiritual connection forms a tighter community than mere monetary flow.

However, we must also be realistic; has it perfectly achieved a "borderless community"? Not yet.

Firstly, it remains a niche circle. Although widely known, the proportion of people globally who are deeply involved and treat it as a lifestyle is still very small. It's more like a collection of "digital islands" formed within the vast ocean of globalization, where island residents can move freely, but most people still live on the traditional continents.

Secondly, there's still a "wall" between it and the real world. While holding Bitcoin is borderless, you still need to use fiat currency (like RMB, USD) to buy it, and you need to convert it back to fiat to use it extensively in daily life (e.g., buying groceries, paying rent). This "on-ramping and off-ramping" process is precisely subject to strict regulation by various countries. So, while its core is borderless, the influence of national borders remains strong at the periphery where it interacts with the real world.

Thirdly, the community itself is not monolithic. There are sometimes competition and even a "pecking order" among the Bitcoin community, the Ethereum community, and various other cryptocurrency communities. This is like different "city-states" on the same "digital continent," with varying cultures and philosophies.

In summary:

Bitcoin has indeed greatly accelerated the formation of "borderless communities." It provides a tool for value transfer that disregards national borders, and more importantly, it has fostered a global cultural identity based on shared digital beliefs.

You can imagine it as a "digital nation-state" built on the internet: it has its own "currency" (Bitcoin), its own "citizens" (holders and believers), its own "constitution" (code protocol), and its own culture and values. The "citizens" of this nation-state still physically live in their respective countries, abide by local laws, but their thoughts and a portion of their wealth have "migrated" to this borderless community.