Quote from: Alpha Marine on Today at 04:14:18 PM

So I've been seeing a lot of talks about how Bitcoin has lost or is losing its identity because it is now regarded as an asset and not as a currency. I used to see the discourse a lot before but recently I've been seeing it more (don't know if it's just me). I have made a couple of replies on posts related to something like this on the forum.
So I really want to understand how Bitcoin has lost its identity.
There is nothing that has stopped bitcoin from being used as a currency. Certain factors make it difficult for businesses to accept bitcoin as a means of payment but I don't think the fact that it's regarded as an asset is one of them

From what I understand, these two features are not mutually exclusive. In the sense that Bitcoin can be an asset and can also be a currency. Just as the dollar is an asset and also a current. The difference, Bitcoin is a better asset than the dollar. I was not opportune or smart enough to be among the early adopters of bitcoin, so I'm going to ask a question to people who were, was there ever a time that people bought bitcoin for the sole purpose of using it just as a currency?
Like when they bought the coin, they had no expectation or hope of bitcoin appreciating so they could make a profit? I doubt that and if they did, then Bitcoin was always an asset from the beginning and also a currency.
So at what point did bitcoin start losing its identity?

Bitcoin was an anonymous currency, a decade ago it was almost impossible to track Bitcoin transactions but now we have found that there are flaws and blockchain analysis companies are getting better with tracking.
We had a KYC-free service years ago and now almost every bitcoin-related business asks their users to submit KYC documents.
Years ago we could mine Bitcoin at home but today it's a commercial business and only big mining companies can mine it.
Bitcoin mixers were legal and now you are a criminal if you use them.
Decentralized Exchanges are also getting banned.
What's the next step?
This is why I think that Bitcoin is losing its identity.