Dr Wojciech Mincewicz received the Minister of Science scholarship for outstanding young researchers

Dr Mincewicz writes about his research:
As a humanist in love with technology, especially the Internet, and from the beginning of my scientific activity I have tried to look for areas that would allow me to combine these two passions. Hence, at the beginning of my doctoral studies, the idea of dealing with cryptocurrencies appeared, but not in the most traditional economic terms. I was the first in Poland and one of the first in the world to undertake research among cryptocurrency users. As part of my research grants, I tried to get to know the group of around 2.5 million people in Poland, taking into account the most basic questions for the social sciences and their motivations and concerns. At the same time, as a political scientist, I analyzed the policies of successive countries towards the emergence and development of cryptocurrencies. In my doctoral thesis for which, in March I was awarded the first prize in the competition for the best doctoral thesis in the field of state security organized by the ABW authorities, I suggested the types of ideal policies, pointing out the opportunities and risks associated with their implementation.
One of the key questions I formulated was: What do users expect from the government, what kind of policy? Based on my research, I can draw a clear conclusion; the less interference by state institutions from the users’ perspective, the better. A minimal attempt at regulation is acceptable, most often in terms of protecting users from abuse.

The technological base for crypto-assets is the blockchain technology. Hence, it is a natural field for further research, which I am going to develop and explore soon. The economic, political, sociological and legal benefits of using the technology increasingly prove that blockchain has great potential to cause so-called “creative destruction”. The technology forms the foundation for developing the third-generation Internet, that is, the transfer of the Internet of information as we traditionally know it to the Internet of Value. (IoV)
The research area, which is emerging in that way, is a natural field of exploration for the social sciences, with the question of barriers to technology implementation. At the same time, it is worth pointing out the spheres of human life where technology can be used, and I have addressed these issues in my research, which is reflected in publications.

Another area focused on exploring the issue of information has not been recognized in the social sciences as well. In my research, I focus on the issue of information acquisition and the potential dangers of the knowledge we can derive from the Internet.

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