By Matt Hussey
4 min read
Middle-men rule the internet. Companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon own and control the data we all generate. That’s made those companies-in-the-middle very wealthy, and the rest of us not only out-of-pocket but unsure how and what our data is being used for.
That’s a problem Tron wants to solve. It wants to give power back to the content creators - and create a way to monetise the things those users create and back them all-up on blockchain.
Tron is a decentralized blockchain designed for entertainment and content creation. Part social media, part content platform, Tron is designed to allow people to create content that can be shared and traded as a user sees fit. That data can be anything from text to pictures, audio and video.
Like Ethereum, Tron has its own smart contracts, Dapps and a wallet. But unlike Ethereum, Tron’s ambitions are to create more sophisticated services like its own trading platform and ultimately a decentralized gaming network for developers to build upon.
Tron was founded by Justin Sun, the former chief representative of Ripple in China. While Sun is the CEO, the network is managed by a non-profit called the Tron Foundation.
Tron’s mission is to “heal the internet”. It believes it can do that by deploying four main features.
Unlike mining based currencies like Ethereum and Bitcoin, the currency was issued at launch. Tron has a token count of 99 billion - with two thirds of that number in supply.
At the heart of Tron is a consensus protocol known as delegated proof of stake or DPOS. In this system people vote for others to become nodes, or in Tron’s case “super representatives”. On the Tron network there are 27 of these super representatives.
Their job is to validate transactions, create new blocks and compete for rewards for good behaviour on the network. The voting system to elect super reps is ongoing, meaning if a rep is misbehaving, they can be replaced.
Tron is less a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, and more a unit of value. It wants its TRX Token to be able to allow the exchange of digital assets without a middle man.
One of the earliest projects built on Tron was Gifto, a paid social media platform that allows content creators to earn gifts from followers.
Tron’s TRX token acts as the ledger that keeps track of the exchanges on the network and ultimately becomes a store of value that content creators can use as they see fit.
Tron has been gathering momentum by building partnerships in its native Singapore and Asia. Like NEO, it has focused its attention on China, an audience who has been actively embracing blockchain technology.
However, Tron isn’t alone in its ambitions. Other smart contract platforms like EOS and Cardano also want to create similar ecosystems. Who will be the first is up for grabs. What’s more than likely is multiple platforms will co-exist along side each other. Which would be good for everyone.
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