Encryption and veganism can go mainstream -- by being invisible

Encryption and veganism tend be maligned, niche interests. The crypto nerds who keep their laptops under lock and 2048-bit key and those brave enough to completely eschew animal products are similar groups – both thoughtful and invested in their beliefs. But neither gets much traction in getting others to adopt their practices, because those practices are costly (socially, in time and expense, etc). As the technology behind vegan food has improved, so has the palatability of the product. Londoners can go to Vx for cupcakes that are creamy and delicious – if they don’t mind being bombarded with “Vegan Power” scarves and animal rights literature. Much more effective would be for vegan shops to sell their cupcakes in other outlets – and not branded as vegan. Those who care can look at the ingredients or find the brand online. Casual consumers could pick them up in a supermarket and not know the difference, but have unknowingly eschewed animal products, contributing to the cause. Encrypted chat app Cryptocat has little mainstream appeal over Skype or Facebook Chat. Much better would be for a popular platform to use strong cryptography. Those who care would know which mainstream products are the highly-encrypted ones. But average consumers, if given a seamless experience, wouldn’t need to know that government dragnets can’t get at their data. Give your niche products wide appeal if you want mass adoption. Fighting for hearts and minds is important – but making your product mainstream will sweep up those people whose minds you don’t change.