Abstract
Discussions of decentralization with respect to blockchain have tended to focus on the architecture of decentralization, its influence, and potential technical hurdles. Furthermore, decentralization is often conflated with distribution in these discussions. The authors argue, instead, for a relational definition of decentralization that considers blockchain within a data-social-technical framework. By considering conceptual ambiguities and the influence of decentralization on each of the data, technical, and social layers of blockchain, the authors analyze the disruptive power of decentralization. Shifting to a decentralized organization of activity necessarily requires a transition that threatens existing power structures and dynamics, requiring actors to consider how such changes in power might interplay with, and be mitigated by changes in, trust dynamics. These institutional barriers to adoption must be understood as part of the design of the technology to help realize its ultimate societal success. As the process of decentralization evolves, further research will be needed to expose and mitigate associated challenges to data preservation and security, and to consider how societal resistance and related pitfalls might impact and restrict adoption of the democratization process.