@IAmReva

Social Media and Democracy Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp have over 1.3 billion users, and I am one of them. Many adolescents get their news primarily from social media channels. However, it's critical to double-check sources and facts, particularly on social media, where it's sometimes unclear where a post originates. What appears in your newsfeed isn't haphazard. Facebook carefully customized content to each user's preferences and interests. Per consumer has a profile created by the companies. We leave clues about our likes and dislikes every time we click on something, and our profiles become more and more comprehensive as a result. So, if you think you have complete power of what you see on the internet, I'm afraid you're mistaken. Both social media firms profit from strategically positioned advertising that are targeted to specific user profiles. They know what kind of car people drive, who has recently given birth, and who is planning a trip around the world. Users can be swayed by so-called micro targeting without even realizing it. Politicians often target their voters, but campaign advertising can be difficult to spot online. This is where social media profiles come into play as a platform for targeting campaign advertisements. Car drivers want lower gas prices, young parents want a cleaner neighborhood, and anyone planning a world trip will benefit from lower taxes. Ad targeting has long been a crucial part of campaigning. Micro targeting, on the other hand, may be argued to be beneficial. For example, since I do not own a car, I am uninterested in new car advertisements. But what if that leads an algorithm to believe I'm not interested in car news? Exhaust gases or new immobility systems come to mind. Knowledge is a powerful tool. People should be able to select what information they want to view and receive balanced news. However, this is not always the case on social media. According to a survey, nearly half of the items shared on social media sites skewed toward the extreme right, despite the fact that only 10% of users identified as members of extreme right parties. The risk of a post that represents people's outrage causing yet more outrage, which leads to proven journalism. In the national debate, social media played a significant role. Both users and lawmakers must be aware of how to deal with this. It is often preferable to participate in a dialogue rather than censor it. It is already possible to monitor social media and limit freedom of speech. Can social media, then, help to improve democracy? On the plus side, social media sites make it simple for everyone to share information, participate in debates, and exchange ideas. They have the ability to effectively participate in political discourse. In the negative side, corporations and governments have complete power of what we see. Micro targeting makes manipulating people simpler than ever before. So, is social media beneficial or harmful to democracy?

I dreamt I was tipped Last night, I dreamt I got my first tip on one of my article. So I immediately opened read.cash and checked it but the sad thing was I didn't get any. So I went back to sleep feelibg disappointed. After waking in the morning, I double checked read.cash and somewhat hoping that the tip on my dream was just delayed. And tadaaah -still zero notification that tells me I got a tip from therandomrewarder or from someone else. The majority of us here, correct me if I'm wrong, had joined read.cash because we wanted to get tipped. Some are successful and others are not including myself. I knew for myself that I'm not good at writing so I don't expect much to get a tip. But still, trying won't hurt. Maybe after publishing this article, the dream last night will might come true. I won't stop writing and hoping that one day therandomrewarde notices my work.

Elastic Supply Token On the blockchain, there has been an explosion of new forms of financial products known as decentralized finance (DeFi). Elastic supply tokens are a relatively new and lesser-known idea in the DeFi space. The supply of these tokens is algorithmically modified in smart contracts through a mechanism known as rebases. Elastic supply tokens are also known as rebase tokens because of this. When tokens are priced above or below the target price, supply changes (rebases) occur, essentially expanding or contracting their supply. Elastic Supply Token Elastic supply tokens are assets whose supply is determined by their price and fluctuates accordingly. The total token supply of an elastic supply project is basically adjustable. Rebases change the total token supply of a specific crypto project on a regular basis. Let's assume you have one XYZ coin that is currently worth $1. You will have two XYZ coins tomorrow. Rebasing, on the other hand, has reduced the value of each coin to half of what it was yesterday ($0.5). What are the benefits of using elastic supply tokens? The basic idea behind this principle is that supply changes ensure that the value of these tokens remains constant. Because of their ability to keep the value constant, elastic supply tokens are also compared to stablecoins. There are, however, some significant variations between the two. Stablecoins are based on the fixed exchange rate theory, which holds the coin price stable by pegging it to another physical commodity. Elastic supply tokens, on the other hand, use a time-varying token supply to achieve a target price. Elastic supply tokens, unlike stablecoins, do not attempt to remove uncertainty. Instead, they want to minimize it to the point that the token's intended value is realized. The overall supply of the project is balanced so that as the price rises, so does the supply. The value of each token decreases as the supply grows. Similarly, when the price of a project is reduced, the overall supply of the project is reduced in order to raise the price. As you can see, the project's total token supply is guided by the same demand and supply logic. Are there any risks associated with tokens with an elastic supply? Investing in tokens with a fluctuating price can be dangerous. The odds of losing money are higher with elastic supply tokens. Sure, this will help you increase your profits, but it can also help you increase your losses. If rebases happen when the token price is falling, you will not only lose money, but you will also own less and less tokens after each rebase! Another explanation why investing in elastic supply tokens may be risky is that they are an experimental asset, which means there is a higher probability that projects' smart contract code would contain bugs. Final words Despite their infancy, elastic supply token projects are gaining traction and can open up new use cases in the DeFi room. In the future, tokens with elastic values may be a viable alternative to stablecoins.

Volatility According to CNBC, the overall cryptocurrency market cap surpassed $2 trillion in April 2021. The big turning point marked the asset class's emergence as a serious contender in the global financial markets. Despite cryptocurrencies' impressive history and development, the issue of volatility continues to plague this fledgling industry. What is Volatility? Volatility is a statistical indicator of how the price of an asset fluctuates or moves over time. Cryptocurrencies, for example, have aggressive price swings that swing from extreme lows to extreme highs in a short period of time. Investors and market participants can determine an asset's risk by understanding its volatility. The asset with the highest volatility is usually referred to as a high-risk investment, and it often yields high returns (or losses). Forex, cryptocurrency, stocks, and derivatives are all highly risky investment options, whereas gold, shares, and a savings account are not. The pros and cons of volatility The benefit of volatility, especially in the case of cryptocurrencies, is that it keeps the market active, allowing for lucrative trading opportunities. Volatility also piques people's interest in cryptos, which tends to raise awareness and increase the market indirectly. On the negative side, the extreme volatility of crypto, especially Bitcoin, may deter investors. Traditional investors, who are mainly risk-averse, don't like the volatility surrounding crypto rates. Despite the high crypto uncertainty, there has been an increase in institutional investors. Factors affecting volatility The crypto market operates in an extremely volatile environment. Cryptocurrencies have a very high risk-to-reward ratio. The following are some of the main factors that contribute to the high volatility: **Infant market** Bitcoin was first introduced to the market in 2009 and has seen tremendous growth since then. When compared to conventional investment options and currencies that have been around for a long time, crypto technology is still relatively new. Currently, crypto purchases are fueled by hype and speculation about potential disruption and adoption. There are still only a few quantifiable metrics that can be used to have a long-term perspective. **Low liquidity** Crypto has very poor liquidity as compared to other easily traded assets such as US equities and Treasury bonds. The volatility of the market has been influenced by the market's infancy and the relatively slow mass acceptance of cryptocurrencies. Worse, a low-liquidity market is vulnerable to market manipulation, resulting in frequent pumping and dumping. **Regulated market** Cryptography is based on complex and open-source technologies, making it difficult to control. Since there is no specific regulatory structure for dealing with such dealings, the market is vulnerable to exploitation. Crypto exchanges have been accused of manipulating their trading volumes to create the appearance of increased demand, resulting in abrupt pumps and dumps into these markets and price swings in either direction. **Speculation** The utility and rate of adoption of an asset determine its worth. Many cryptocurrencies' usefulness has been questioned, resulting in increased cryptocurrency volatility. The majority of people join the crypto industry because of the excitement and "get rich fast" aspects of it. The market's uncertainty has been exacerbated by such emotional investing.

Not your keys, Not your coins As a new user of read.cash, we are given a set of 12 words and a reminder that we need to save it. This 12 words are known as seed phrase. I knew that many of the users here in the platform already knew how important to safely save this seedphrase. But for the sake of beginners in the cryptoccurency space, let us find out what is a seed phrase and how to safely store it. Seed phrase The seed phrase is a list of words that contains all of the information needed to recover funds from your on-chain wallet (on the blockchain). The seed phrase is created by the wallet software the first time it is used. In simple terms, it is considered as a password to your cryptocurrency wallet. As long as you have your seed phrase, you can recocer your funds on that wallet no matter what happened. For example, the only device you used to access read.cash (with funds in it) have suddenly broken and there is no way you can fix it. No need to worry, as long as you have your seed phrase, you can retrieve all your funds. How to safely store your seed phrase? Safely storing your seed phrase can be digital or physical. **Digital** **storing** 1. You can safely store your seed phrase by writing it on a file and encrypt it and save it on your computer. Pros - easy to do Cons - Someone might delete your file 2. You can also store your seed phrase on the cloud so you can get access to it on different devices Pros - easy accessibility Cons - prone to hackers 3. You can store the file containing your seed phrase into physical hardwares like flash drive, cd, etc. Pros - safe, easy access Cons - you might misplaced or lose your physical hardware **Physical storing** 1. You can just simply write down your seed phrase on a paper and store Pros - secured from hackers Cons - easy to burn, prone to thieves 2. You can write it up on a non flammable material Pros - the problem with paper wallet is solved Cons - still vulnerable to thieves 3. You can write it up on different material by pieces and placed it on different storage Pros - problem with thieves is solved Cons - what if you misplaced one material where you wrote you seed Conclusion Safely storing your seed phrase is easy as 1,2, and 3. There might be some drawbacks but the safest thing to do is have a presence of mind and always be careful.