Review: Uncensored Crypto docuseries recap

In the Uncensored Crypto docuseries, Michael Hearne sits down with crypto experts to discuss some of the hottest topics in the crypto world. The overarching theme of the docuseries is to show how mainstream media and institutions censor information about crypto. 

This censorship hides the benefits of cryptocurrency, blockchain, and decentralized finance systems (DeFi) from people looking for digital sovereignty and financial freedom. The docuseries also covers how crypto can completely change the traditional centralized systems as we currently know them.

Looking for a quick recap of each episode? We’ve got you covered with the main themes of all 9 episodes, and the bonus episode!

Episode 1: Introducing Uncensored Crypto

“It is absolutely mind-boggling that a technology has emerged that can actually transform society in multiple dimensions in a way that has never been possible since the emergence of mankind.” -Martin Weiss, Founder of Weiss Ratings

Top themes covered:

• How crypto can change people’s financial future
• How blockchain can protect peoples’ digital identity
• Fighting against surveillance capitalism
• DeFi vs. traditional banks

The first episode of the Uncensored Crypto docuseries kicks off by giving an overview of cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and how both can completely change the current financial system. 

It shows that blockchain technology can be a tool to help protect peoples’ digital identities, fight against Big Tech and social media surveillance, and give financial power to the people rather than concentrating it in the hands of powerful banks. Finally, the episode explores how DeFi offers people more control over crucial financial tools, like loans, that they otherwise might not have access to.

Episode 2: Blockchain, bitcoin, Ethereum, sh*thcoins

“Anything that’s not Bitcoin, in my opinion, is pretty much a s*itcoin. Now, can you make money on that? Absolutely […] and I think they’ll be around forever, but they aren’t good stores of value.” – Josh Malinkovich, student and CTO of Bitcombine

Top themes covered: 

• Mass adoption of crypto
• Bitcoin maximalists
• Ethereum vs. Bitcoin
• Are altcoins worth investing in?
• Is it too late to invest in Bitcoin?

In the next episode, the docuseries examines Bitcoin. It presents the famous coin from two perspectives: Bitcoin maximalists who believe it is the only cryptocurrency worth giving any attention to, and other experts who believe the future lies with Ethereum and altcoins. 

The episode also looks at the common myth of people who think they’re too late to invest in major cryptos like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Uncensored Crypto makes the case that this belief couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Episode 3: Decentralization, web3, DAOs

“There’s no Fed. There’s no bureaucrats. There’s no politicians. There’s no interest rate manipulators. It’s really just us and the code and our own assets. Where the role that exchanges play in the ecosystem is that they let you trade between assets.” -Alan Van Taoi, THORChain and creator of RUNEBase.org

Top themes covered:

• Decentralization
• Web3
• Decentralized exchanges
• A system without trust and governance
• Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs)

Next, Uncensored Crypto examines how almost everything in our current system is centralized, and that decentralization could give more power to the people. This is because there is no longer a need for trust in a decentralized system, so you don’t have to place all your trust in a government or corporation. 

Then, DAOs and decentralized exchanges are examined as alternatives to centralized companies and banks. Lastly, the episode gets into Web3 and how it would change the internet as we currently know it by introducing a decentralized internet.

Episode 4: NFTs, tokenization, AI, metaverse

“Right now, all the AI progress is made by these large tech companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft […] That’s why I think, on a high level, blockchain, crypto, or Web 3.0 can help mitigate the negative effect of that by decentralizing the storage of the data, so these platforms have less leverage against individuals or small organizations.” -Jerry Tang 

Top themes covered: 

• NFTs
• Tokenization
• Artificial intelligence
• Metaverse

Episode four gets into NFTs and tokenization. It shows how the process of tokenization can be applied to many different industries, such as real estate and supply chain logistics. It then turns to the harms of AI being concentrated in powerful centralized corporations, and how a decentralized web can help mitigate that harm. 

It wraps up by looking at the metaverse, crypto’s role in it, and how it will be a more immersive, 3D experience of the web that we currently use. 

Episode 5: DeFi, staking, lending

“The little guy doesn’t need a third party to give them permission to do anything now. You have your own financial sovereignty. You have access to investments that typically have only been held out for accredited investors and institutions.” -Alex Benfield, Crypto Analyst at Weiss Research

Top themes covered:

• DeFi market
• Impact of blockchain on the financial system
• Crypto staking and lending
• Risks in DeFi

In the fifth episode, Uncensored Crypto looks at the world of DeFi, which has been quickly growing as crypto and blockchain technology develop. The crypto experts explain what DeFi is and how it can help bring financial services to those who don’t have access to them or traditional banks. 

It explains some financial services you can access with cryptocurrencies, such as crypto staking and crypto lending. Then, it wraps up by mentioning that because DeFi is still relatively new, it can carry some risks to those who aren’t careful.

Episode 6: Sovereignty, censorship, and privacy

“I think if we want to take back our human sovereignty, we have to first take back our attention and we have to first take back our data and our usage on the internet. And I think the first way to do that is to really introduce the idea that Bitcoin allows for financial sovereignty, Lightning allows for database sovereignty within a social network.” – Justin Rezvani 

Top themes covered: 

• Digital sovereignty
• Data ownership
• Censorship and cancel culture
• Privacy and security

This episode of Uncensored Crypto addresses some of the overarching themes of the series. It begins by going over the idea of sovereignty and how decentralization and web3 can help online users take some control over their digital lives away from Big Data. 

Then, it looks at how giving people direct control over their digital data can give them a new form of income. Finally, it examines how web3 and decentralization can help fight against censorship and cancel culture by taking power away from Big Tech.

Episode 7: Banks, remittance, the federal reserve, and crypto as a store of value

“With crypto, we’re seeing an entire new generation becoming asset owners. For the first time ever, you’re seeing an 18-year-old actually own something, as opposed to paying for it as a service, as we’ve seen. The whole banking sector, it’s ripe to be completely decentralized, and there’s going to be a lot of pain. It’s not going to go quietly.” – Brian Rose

Top themes covered:

• How stablecoins threaten banks
• DeFi powering services that banks don’t provide
• Using the blockchain for more control over your digital identity
• Crypto as a store of value

Next, the docuseries takes an in-depth look at how blockchain technology and DeFi could threaten traditional banking institutions. The episode talks about how banks both embrace crypto and blockchain and fight against it and the change it brings. 

It explores how DeFi provides services that regular banks don’t, and how banks can be motivated by profit while DeFi is not. Lastly, it looks at how blockchain can give you greater control over your digital life and how cryptocurrency acts as a unique store of value compared to fiat currency.

Episode 8: Regulations and black markets

“And so getting this regulatory clarity is going to be sort of a painful growth cycle that we’re going to need to go through as an industry. But I think the other side of that is going to lead us to a much larger market of potential end-users and people that are benefiting from blockchain-based systems than were in the past.” – Justin Newton

Top themes covered:

• Lack of official regulation so far
• Regulations as a way to control the industry
• Black markets
• Crypto scams

In episode eight, Uncensored Crypto looks at a major topic in the crypto industry: government regulation. The docuseries makes the case that even though the goal of DeFi is to remain an alternative system outside of government control, the future will likely bring some sort of regulation to the industry. 

The episode also looks at crypto’s role in black markets and crypto scams. It points out that many other industries have scams, so blockchain and cryptocurrency aren’t unique in that regard, even though they are more unregulated. 

Episode 9: Mining and renewable energy

“In the US, we generate four terawatt-hours of electricity. We lose 200 to 300 gigawatts of electricity per hour just through friction in the transmission lines. All of the Bitcoin miners in the US use less than 200 gigawatts of electricity. So we’re just using energy that otherwise would be wasted. Over time, Bitcoin mining becomes more and more energy efficient.” – Fred Thiel

Top themes covered: 

• Accessibility of crypto mining
• Energy waste applications 
• Energy consumption
• Renewable energy

In episode nine, Uncensored Crypto looks at how the crypto mining industry has grown and how large corporations have overtaken Bitcoin mining. Then, the docuseries explores the unique ways some businesses use energy waste from crypto mining. 

It also presents arguments from crypto experts who make the case that mining may not consume as much energy as most people think and that it can even accelerate the adoption of renewable energy. 

Episode 10: Getting started in crypto, evaluating projects, investing/trading

“So this is the kind of thinking that leads to people missing out on the gains when you think that you’re already too late. A lot of us already have that thought all the time. ‘Oh, something’s already done a five X. I’m too late to invest in that,’ when in reality, no, it’s just getting started […] I think looking at crypto as a whole, no, we’re still very early, even with Bitcoin.” – Alex Benfield 

Top themes covered: 

• Getting started in crypto
• Evaluating crypto projects
• Investing and trading crypto

The last episode of the docuseries is aimed at crypto newbies looking to get started in crypto. Uncensored Crypto shows that cryptocurrency doesn’t have to be complicated. Taking the simple step of investing just $20 will help set you on the path to keep learning more about it. 

The episode also gives tips for evaluating which projects are worth investing in and addresses the common myth that it’s too late to invest in Bitcoin or Ethereum. 

What are some major takeaways from Uncensored Crypto?

Future of bitcoin

One key takeaway from the docuseries is about Bitcoin’s future. Some in the cryptocurrency space view Bitcoin as outdated, especially considering that there are blockchain platforms out there that offer faster transaction times, better scalability, and lower fees. 

However, Bitcoin supporters point towards a healthy future for the original crypto. As mentioned throughout Uncensored Crypto, Bitcoin is currently seeing the most institutional adoption by countries worldwide and is being embraced by politicians. 

In 2021, El Salvador announced they would accept the crypto as official legal tender and began working to create a Bitcoin City powered by the natural geothermal energy of its volcanoes. 

In the US, Miami mayor Francis Suarez and New York mayor Eric Adams have announced their support for Bitcoin, with plans to take their paychecks in the crypto and turn their cities into hot spots for the crypto industry. 

However, the possibility of new regulations in the crypto industry could impact its future, and some countries such as China have already banned the use of Bitcoin altogether. Another concern is Bitcoin’s environmental impact, which is why Tesla stopped accepting it as payment in 2021.

While Bitcoin is still relatively young, the fact that it has been around so long and seen so much growth, especially in 2021 when it reached a peak of $69,000, shows that there’s still more to come for the king of crypto.

Future of investing in crypto

Another top takeaway is that the crypto industry is still young, and it’s the perfect time to start investing. In 2021, crypto investments increased 36% from 2020, for a total value of $9.3 billion. By late 2021, the total value of the crypto market reached $3.3 trillion.

As the docuseries explores, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology have the potential to decentralize the current financial system so that individuals have more direct control over their finances. 

Centralized exchanges like Coinbase, which are great places for beginners to start investing, have seen a considerable jump in membership, with a growth of 56 million users and a total valuation of $65 billion in 2021. 

Crypto has been around for a relatively short amount of time. But given its long-term trajectory and the potential applications of its technology in the future explored in the docuseries, it’s clear that holding it as a long-term investment can pay off for any investor. 

Hopefully, Uncensored Crypto has given you the information you need to make informed decisions about investing in crypto. If the docuseries shows anything, the industry is just getting started and its future is bright.