We are at the end of the first quarter of the 21st century. Technological advancement is moving at a meteoric speed. The internet ushered in a new world, the cyber/ digital world. We exist in two forms, the physical and digital worlds. They made letter writing obsolete because of emailing, WhatsApp and many other instant messaging tools of our time. At one point in time, people used to walk for weeks just to go and deliver a message. Nowadays video calls are the order of the day, connecting those who are thousands of kilometres away from each in real time.

Crypto currency, the Blockchain, Web 3.0, NFTs and metaverse are an integral part of our existence at the present moment and will even be a greater part of the future. The integration of telegraph, telephone, radio, robotics, computer and the internet has brought advancement to the human family.

It is time we partake in the accumulation of digital assets now. The simple reason being that crypto is creating value out of thin air. We are at an era where we see the largest transfer of wealth through these digital assets. The barrier to entry is not a big challenge for adopters. Fiat currencies enjoy sovereign authority backing them while crypto currencies are backed by transparency. All transactions are broadcasted to other users in the network.

New crypto currencies are introduced to the public on daily basis. It renders middlemen redundant because of the decentralised distributed ledgers. Money started evolving since time immemorial. In the hunter and gatherer stage, people started trading through barter. They could easily exchange Ostrich eggs for strands of game biltong. Then there was discovery of gold, which became a medium of exchange. Later on, gold coins were minted and were used as store of value and a media of exchange as well. They proved difficult and unsafe to carry around and trade in. That led to the invention of paper money along with it came the plastic money. Where people could just swipe their debit and credit cards as a form of payment for goods and services.

Then we saw a new form of payment called electronic funds transfers (EFT) introduced in the world of money. Now there are E-wallets, where money is sent and stored in mobile phones. Mobile phones have become wallets. Merchants and individuals also accept these E-wallets as a credible form of payment. In countries like Zimbabwe, some transactions are through Ecocash, and other mobile network operators. People transact through their mobile phones without going physically to the banks. All this is a clear indicator that we are approaching a cashless/ paperless era. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) the ‘future’ world is here and now. Resisting it won’t help you or your family in the long run.

Because of the innovation from the internet, there are various virtual currencies that were invented and introduced to the public. Almost all of the early inventions have disappeared into thin air.

A few examples are:

*E-gold, which was launched in 1998 and was stopped in 2008.

*Beenz was founded in 1998 and collapsed in 2001

*Flooz was introduced in 1999 and folded in 2001

*Q coins was released in 2002.

The internet is the backbone of all these new digital assets. The first recorded description of social interaction through networking was from memos written by J.C.R Licklider of MIT in 1962. He was discussing his “Galactic Network” concept. He envisioned a globally interconnected set of computers through which everyone could quickly access data and programs from any site. The concept was exactly like the internet as we know it today. Since then, research and development has grown and refined them into high technologies.

 This is one of the most useful and beneficial inventions of the 20th century. What I like most about this invention is that it is accessible to most people all over the world. It actually has levelled the ground for everyone. It has removed the barriers of geographical borders globally. Who owns the internet? No one owns the internet.

The internet is a very useful tool in this era. I like to go with those who call it the information age. This information is accessed, store and transmitted far and wide through the click of buttons.

If you do not have an email address, please create one. Learn to send and receive emails. If you are in business and you do not have a website, pay a web designer some money and put your business online. This levels the ground and your business can attract customers from all corners of the earth. This will help you to become a global business and will help you tap into the global markets and be part of globalisation.

The cyber world is here to change our lives to the better. There is a wide range of jobs that are being created on daily basis. The least we can do is to start thinking on how we can use it to our advantage. This will definitely improve our lives, our children’s lives and subsequent generations to come.

On the flip side, yes some of the negative things said about the internet are true. There are a million and one scams that are happening on the internet. Can we then throw away a bag full of apples because a handful of them are rotten? That will be costly and unnecessary. It is better to protect yourself from these scams and scammers.

Going online using a VPN can help you to surf the internet incognito. This makes it difficult for hackers to attack you online. Those who steal information like usernames, passwords, email addresses and personal information will have a hard time trying their luck once you secure your online activity using a VPN. Also avoid entering sensitive information using public Wi-Fi and public computers. You should avoid sharing sensitive information on untrusted websites as well. If an advertisement online is too good to be true, it probably is a scam. There are certain verification checks that you can do before you fall victim to such. It is always good to seek advice from those who are more knowledgeable about the internet than you. Refusing to engage in online activity is a self-defeating deed for anyone who lives in this 21st century era. The internet will grow from strength to strength as we see it today with the discovery and installation of fibre optics. This makes internet connection to be lightning fast and downloading of large amounts of data to happen in the blink of an eye. The world is shifting to 5G Networks and beyond.

As time goes on, Imbewu Finance will check out viable investments to grow its portfolio and those may include digital assets. They are volatile and one need to do their due diligence before they invest any hard earned resources.