Cryptocurrency as a problem for sociologists: what and how to explore?

The paper argues that understanding cryptocurrencies' essential characteristics and dynamics will help sociologists analyze contemporary society. The article begins with an overview of the stages in the development of cryptocurrency. Then, the authors discuss several questions about cryptocurrency as a phenomenon and a research problem. In what follows, they focus on Bitcoin, the first and most noticeable cryptocurrency introduced to society's socio-economic life, and consider the key differences between Bitcoin and traditional currency. The paper concludes with a discussion of how the developments of cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence technologies are interrelated in the age of ‘artificial sociality.'