Super Bowl 2022 was dubbed Crypto Bowl even before the game was played because of the advertising blitz cryptocurrency companies unleashed during the annual televised spectacle.
The ads, featuring a bevy of celebrities and gimmicks, aimed to convince viewers that cryptocurrencies are the wave of the future.
Preying on FOMO – that is, the fear of missing out – is a classic technique of both advertisers and scam artists, so you would be forgiven for being leery of the cryptocurrency hype.
But the story is more complicated than just the latest speculation craze. Here are six stories from our archive to help you understand how cryptocurrencies work, and the bigger picture of how blockchain is setting the stage for a future in which technology, rather than institutions, guarantees ownership and fosters trust.