{"id":7666,"date":"2021-04-24T12:01:41","date_gmt":"2021-04-24T16:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/?p=7666"},"modified":"2021-04-24T12:01:41","modified_gmt":"2021-04-24T16:01:41","slug":"6-questions-for-denelle-dixon-of-stellar-development-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/2021\/04\/24\/6-questions-for-denelle-dixon-of-stellar-development-foundation","title":{"rendered":"6 Questions for Denelle Dixon of the Stellar Development Foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"

We ask the buidlers in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector for their thoughts on the industry… and we throw in a few random zingers to keep them on their toes!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

This week, our 6 Questions go to Denelle Dixon, CEO and executive director of the Stellar Development Foundation.<\/b><\/p>\n

Denelle Dixon is the CEO and executive director of the Stellar Development Foundation, a nonprofit organization using blockchain to unlock the world\u2019s economic potential by making money more fluid, markets more open and people more empowered. Before joining Stellar, Denelle served as the chief operating officer of Mozilla, one of the most successful mission-driven open-source organizations. During her tenure at Mozilla, she led the organization\u2019s business, revenue and policy teams, including the ongoing fight for net neutrality and the global effort to ensure that people can control their personal data. She also pushed Mozilla to understand how to partner with commercial entities while staying true to its core mission of openness, innovation and opportunity on the web. A lawyer by trade, Denelle previously served as a general counsel and legal advisor in private equity and technology. Throughout her career, Denelle has been a vocal advocate for net neutrality, encryption, the disclosure of vulnerabilities by governments, and greater user choice and control.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

1 \u2014 What\u2019s one problem you think blockchain has a chance to solve but hasn\u2019t been attempted yet?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is no shortage of ideas for what blockchain can solve in terms of efficiency, transparency, data security, speed and cost. The great thing is blockchain\u2019s versatility can be applied to most if not all industries ranging from finance to healthcare to education to retail. And blockchain has been around long enough that it\u2019s not just for crypto enthusiasts anymore. Companies, organizations and institutions are now looking for ways to make blockchain part of their tech stack. Essentially, if there is a process that can be improved upon with technology, blockchain has the potential to be part of that solution.<\/p>\n

But blockchain needs to further mature before we see a fully comprehensive solution happen. So, maybe \u201cattempt\u201d isn\u2019t the right word here so much as \u201cfully implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n

I would love to see blockchain tackle cybersecurity. Staying indoors throughout the pandemic has only amplified people\u2019s reliance on technology \u2014 through their modes of communication, shopping habits or content consumption\/creation. But it\u2019s difficult for users to choose between protecting their data and the incentives provided to them for providing access to their data \u2014 not to mention that users are constantly at risk of being scammed or hacked. So, while users need to take a more vigilant approach to safeguarding their own data, blockchain can protect users at the product level via decentralization and built-in encryption methods. I\u2019m very excited to see where blockchain projects focusing on cybersecurity end up in the coming years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2 \u2014 What do you think will be the biggest trend in blockchain for the next 12 months?<\/strong><\/p>\n

From a general standpoint, as blockchain becomes more consumer-friendly, we\u2019ll see more businesses and individuals begin to adopt it. Interest in blockchain is only rising as the technology and infrastructure becomes more robust and useful, allowing people to solve problems in increasingly versatile ways.<\/p>\n

This means that industries beyond just fintech will start thinking of ways blockchain can benefit them. I welcome the diversification of industries as they bring more applications, products and services to blockchain, as it indicates growing acceptance by the public that blockchain really can be part of the mainstream.<\/p>\n

Regarding financial systems, the conversation around stablecoins and digital currencies will continue to intensify. We\u2019re finally starting to see buy-in from traditional financial institutions that blockchain is a cost-effective, swift and powerful solution. If these institutions begin issuing stablecoins on their own, as Bitbond and Bank von der Heydt did, the mainstream consumer will become much more comfortable with the idea of digital currencies and blockchain in general.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3 \u2014 What\u2019s the most interesting place you\u2019ve ever visited, and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a hard question because \u201cinteresting\u201d could cover so many feelings. If I had to pick one, I would go with Krak\u00f3w, Poland. While my visit there was brief, I could feel the history \u2014 both beautiful and tragic \u2014 beaming from within the large, culturally distinct and historically significant areas of Krak\u00f3w. The contemporary city boasts vibrant businesses with historic buildings and churches and cathedrals dotting the landscape. It was a moving juxtaposition for me, especially after visiting the Jewish Quarter \u2014 Kazimierz \u2014 which is an ever-present reminder of the tragedies inflicted during WWII combined with more recent brilliance in the resurgence of the Jewish community there with art exhibitions that commemorate the rebuilding. For me, going to Krak\u00f3w was a lesson in life, art and cultural protection.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4 \u2014 What\u2019s the future of social media?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If anyone has watched The Social Dilemma<\/em> on Netflix, they\u2019re probably aware that social media has deviated far from its original promise: to provide a space where people can voice their thoughts and connect with one another.<\/p>\n

We see now that social media has a whole host of problems. Not only have the psychological and cultural impacts of social media been more dramatic than many of us anticipated but current policies and regulations are not enough to safeguard users.<\/p>\n

As with most technology, social media in itself is neither good nor bad. It\u2019s a tool, albeit one that is highly susceptible to algorithmic changes and design choices in the hands of a few.<\/p>\n

So, will we see a lot more video-driven features because that\u2019s what performs best according to the algorithm? Will we see the voices of a few rise to the top because they happened to say the thing that would get the most eyeballs? Will we see companies increase their prominence on social media because their advertising budgets are the primary source of revenue for these networks? Yes to all of the above.<\/p>\n

But now we know where the flaws of social media exist, and these networks need to be reexamined, redesigned and rebuilt with not just the input of a few, but from all voices. That\u2019s what it\u2019ll take to recapture what made social media so special in the first place: to have a platform where your voice can be heard and matters.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5 \u2014 What are the top five Crypto Twitter feeds you can\u2019t do without, and why?
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Am I allowed to say @cointelegraph?<\/p>\n

The other five are (in no particular order):<\/p>\n

@CoinDesk: Their focus on data, research and multimedia content help me keep tabs on broader trends, use cases and innovations taking place in crypto.<\/p>\n

@TheBlock__: How they stay updated on all the major players in the crypto\/blockchain space \u2014 short, sweet and to the point.<\/p>\n

@ForbesCrypto: They\u2019re one of the biggest crypto pubs on Twitter and for good reason: They get all the exclusives!<\/p>\n

@BlockchainAssn: The Blockchain Association has a front seat to DC policymaking and regulations in blockchain and crypto. I appreciate their nuanced takes on the discussions and legislation circulating in the space.<\/p>\n

@CoinMarketCap: CoinMarketCap is a data lover\u2019s dream. Aside from the rankings and charts, [what] they\u2019re best known for, CoinMarketCap also puts out great content focusing on global policy, regulations and projects happening in crypto.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6 \u2014 Close your eyes and think of a happy place. What do you see?
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I see my family, my parents, my partner, our children and our close friends sitting around a bonfire in our backyard playing a game of charades. It is one of my happiest moments \u2014 particularly when my team is winning.<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Decentralized technology that creates programmatic consensus to seamlessly fix inefficiencies and increase opportunity? I think it may prove to be unstoppable.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":7194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[155,154],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[211,222,788,2492,2216,1061,227,659,658,2491,2488],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7666"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7666"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7666\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7671,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7666\/revisions\/7671"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7666"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cointelegraph.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=7666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}