Talk to an average person, and 9.9 times out of 10, they’ll have no idea what blockchain is, with the exception of maybe Bitcoin. If they do know, it’s surface level details at best.

When a trend emerges, some people don’t want to wait to see how things play out — especially when there’s money to be made. Perhaps this story can be an example:

Remember the massive excitement Bitcoin last year? Speculative investment exploded. As the price soared, it gained public appeal. And legitimacy. And a lot of people made a lot of money, very fast.

Then the price dropped by 50%.

By the time Bitcoin’s value plummeted, it seemed like most people had lost faith. But that “lost faith” reaction really only happened among those who had jumped into space at the last minute, hoping to enjoy Bitcoin’s climb. People with knowledge of blockchain and cryptocurrencies saw this coming— in some way, shape, or form. Active participants in the emerging industry were hardly surprised by the plummet in price that followed. These are “growing pains” that arise with any new technology.

Unfortunately, that patience was not widespread. Many people who jumped into the industry looking to make a quick buck ended up jumping back out at its lowest slump. They chalked their ill-timed participation as the fault of blockchain being a “trend,” opposed to looking at the long-term nature of what it means to build something globally impactful — and the rising (and falling) tides that come with such a massive undertaking.

This is why, as markets begin to recover (and they already have), and new variations of blockchain technology cement themselves into our everyday lives, everyone from general consumers to high-profile investors need to have a firm understanding of the tech.