Blockchain: From Bitcoin to the Internet of Value and beyond

Abstract

Information Systems (IS) scholars have made significant contributions to blockchain knowledge since blockchain technologies were first implemented in 2009 with the launch of Bitcoin. The overarching espoused aim of blockchain technologies is the decentralization of power over the Internet. Peer-to-peer payments were the first applications, followed by platforms for decentralized applications, decentralized autonomous organizations, and, more recently, self-sovereign identity, decentralized finance, nonfungible tokens, and metaverses. JIT invited Mary Lacity, director of the Blockchain Center of Excellence at the University of Arkansas, to provide an overview of the major innovations, explain how early enterprise adopters are using these innovations, and where these technologies might be headed. This paper, formatted as a conversation, hopes to inspire more IS scholars to engage in this rapidly evolving area.

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