Agreed. If it doesn't generate new value beyond speculation, it will eventually run out of steam. To those who say digital gold, I think the recent price swing

Agreed. If it doesn't generate new value beyond speculation, it will eventually run out of steam. To those who say digital gold, I think the recent price swings in response to regulation show that bitcoin is not a safe store of value. Ethereum or others after it could prove to provide enough value to justify the valuation, and I am positive something will, but we are still some time away from that being real and not super speculative. Still, I can easily see how crypto currencies appeal to a young crowd who perhaps have anecdotal evidence of someone in their circle who made a significant return in a short space of time. I think the interest is primarily driven by this narrative rather ideals of decentralisation or actual usefulness of crypto currencies - for now anyway