This thesis provides a critical examination of some of the early adopters of the Bitcoin protocol and is based on ethnographic data gathered in the greater Orlando metropolitan area between October 2012 and January 2013.

Download this research to discover the burgeoning knowledge and utilisation of Bitcoin as an emergent virtual currency and contemplate the implications of its propensity for generating market oriented social discourse. After a review of the relevant anthropological and social
scientific literature related to currency and market interactions, the author presents a hypothesis oriented towards uncovering the reasons behind the recent adoption of the Bitcoin protocol and its potential as a market shaping force. Information from individual case studies is utilised
to highlight Bitcoin’s perception and utilisation by the community and the new insights gained into socio-economic interactions are described.

By utilising the Bitcoin protocol, many of those who were interviewed for this research believe that they are contributing to the development of a new market force. They are, in effect, constructing a social dialogue that may reflect their desire to see a change in today’s social and economic organisation. Regulation attempts by the world’s governing authorities and financial institutions only serve to solidify the Bitcoin community by providing them a rallying point from which to mobilise. As the Bitcoin protocol has been defined internationally, it has also been
legitimised. With recognition has come a modicum of faith in the burgeoning currency and Bitcoin adoption has increased, both locally and internationally.