# <center><i class="fa fa-edit"></i> 2.1 Centralization and Decentralization </center> ###### tags: `Blockchain` The following notes are taken from [Coursera](https://www.coursera.org/learn/cryptocurrency/home/week/2) --- - Competing paradigms that underlie many digital technologies - Decentralization is **NOT** all-or-nothing - Ex: email -> decentralized but dominated by centralized webmail services ### Bitcoin Decentralization Aspects - Peer-to-peer network: open to anyone, low barrier to entry - Mining: open to anyone, inevitable concentration of power often seen as undesirable - Updates to software: core developers trusted by community, have great power