Introduction
Marina Marchesotti, Chief Business Officer of Polkadot Blockchain Academy, appeared on Canal 7 during coverage of a blockchain and Web3 event held at the Technology Node in Santiago del Estero. In the interview, Marina Marchesotti explained blockchain through a wider social lens, focusing on how the technology can support governments, protect digital identity, and help societies adapt to rapid technological change.
Rather than presenting blockchain only as a technical or financial product, Marina Marchesotti described it as infrastructure. Her explanation focused on why strong digital foundations are becoming increasingly important as societies face new questions around artificial intelligence, identity, democracy, decentralisation, and governance.
Blockchain as a Foundation for Modern Society
Marina Marchesotti began by using a simple analogy. Marina Marchesotti compared blockchain infrastructure to the foundations of a building. When someone wants to construct a building, they need an engineer to design the foundations first. The height and strength of the building depend on how strong those foundations are.
As Marina Marchesotti explained in the interview:
“When you are going to build a building, you hire an engineer to make the foundations. And you can build as many floors as the foundations allow.”
This analogy made the topic easier to understand for a general audience. Marina Marchesotti was explaining that societies also need strong foundations to support future systems. Laws, regulations, and institutions helped shape society over time, but many of those structures were created before today’s digital technology existed.
Marina Marchesotti pointed out that the world now faces different challenges. Technology has advanced so quickly that, in her view, it has gone beyond what science fiction imagined decades ago. Because of this, society needs infrastructure that can support technological change while still protecting important values.
For Marina Marchesotti, blockchain is part of that discussion because it can help build digital systems that are more secure, decentralised, and aligned with public needs.
Digital Identity and the Challenge of Artificial Intelligence
One of the strongest points in Marina Marchesotti’s interview was the importance of digital identity. Marina Marchesotti explained that society needs infrastructure capable of supporting social change without losing fundamental values such as democracy, individuality, and knowing who each person is.
As Marina Marchesotti said:
“Society requires infrastructure that can support the social changes that are needed without losing fundamental values such as democracy, individuality, and knowing who each person is.”
Marina Marchesotti connected this issue directly to artificial intelligence. Marina Marchesotti noted that many people are now discussing AI and the risks that may come with it, including situations where someone’s identity could be duplicated or misused.
That is why Marina Marchesotti highlighted the need for a digital identity that cannot easily be stolen or used by someone else.
In Marina Marchesotti’s words:
“With this, I mean being able to have a digital identity that cannot be stolen, that cannot be used by someone on our behalf.”
This was one of the most important ideas in the interview. Marina Marchesotti was not describing blockchain as a simple application or a short-term product. Marina Marchesotti was explaining how blockchain can become part of the infrastructure needed to protect people’s identity and individuality in a digital environment where AI and online systems are becoming more powerful.
Decentralisation, Democracy, and Sovereignty
Marina Marchesotti also explained blockchain through the idea of decentralisation. Marina Marchesotti said the technology created by Dr Gavin Wood offers alternative solutions because it is built around values connected to democratisation and decentralisation.
Marina Marchesotti described decentralisation as a model where not everything has to pass through one central channel before decisions are made for everyone.
As Marina Marchesotti said:
“We are talking about decentralisation, that not everything has to go through one tube so that someone decides what has to be good for us.”
This point connected blockchain to larger questions about society and governance. Marina Marchesotti explained that these issues are not only about products. They are connected to people’s lives, sovereignty, and governability.
In the interview, Marina Marchesotti said:
“We are not talking about products. We are talking about our own lives, our own sovereignty, our own governability.”
This part of the interview showed why Marina Marchesotti sees blockchain as relevant for governments and decision makers. The technology is not only about building digital tools. It is also about deciding how society manages identity, trust, public systems, and control over digital infrastructure.
The Role of Polkadot Blockchain Academy
Marina Marchesotti also explained the role of Polkadot Blockchain Academy in educating different groups of people about blockchain and Web3. Marina Marchesotti said these ideas are taught to decision makers, especially those who are creating systems or working in roles that can affect people’s lives.
As Marina Marchesotti explained:
“That is what we teach at Polkadot Blockchain Academy for decision makers, for those who are creating or working today in decisive positions to change people’s lives.”
Marina Marchesotti also made clear that education should not be limited to one group. According to Marina Marchesotti, it makes sense to begin with builders, developers, and engineers because they are responsible for the foundations. Marina Marchesotti returned to the bridge analogy to explain why strong technical foundations matter.
As Marina Marchesotti said:
“If you have to build a bridge that resists earthquakes, that many people will cross and visit for years, you need to think about those foundations.”
However, Marina Marchesotti also said that other parts of society need to be educated as well. As blockchain projects grow and become more relevant to public and institutional systems, it becomes necessary for different levels of society to understand how the technology works and why it matters.
Technology as a Tool, Not the Final Goal
Another important point from Marina Marchesotti’s interview was that technology should not be treated as the final goal. Marina Marchesotti described technology as something that crosses many parts of life, but not as something that should be adopted without purpose.
As Marina Marchesotti said:
“Technology is a good that is transversal to our lives. It is not an end.”
This statement captures the broader message of the interview. Marina Marchesotti was not saying that blockchain should be used simply because it is new. Marina Marchesotti was saying that society must think carefully about where it stands in relation to innovation and how digital systems should be built.
For Marina Marchesotti, education is part of that responsibility. What people have learned so far has helped society reach the current moment, but the next stage requires new forms of understanding. As technology becomes more connected to identity, governance, public infrastructure, and daily life, more people need to understand the foundations behind it.
Blockchain as a Public Infrastructure Conversation
Marina Marchesotti’s Canal 7 interview presented blockchain as public infrastructure rather than just a technical concept. Marina Marchesotti explained that societies are now facing new challenges from rapid technological change, artificial intelligence, digital identity risks, and centralised online systems.
Through the interview, Marina Marchesotti described blockchain as a way to support stronger digital foundations, protect individual identity, encourage decentralisation, and help governments think about future public infrastructure. Marina Marchesotti also highlighted the role of Polkadot Blockchain Academy in educating builders, developers, engineers, decision makers, and the wider society.
The key message from Marina Marchesotti was that blockchain is not only about products. It is about the foundations society may need for the next stage of digital life. For governments, institutions, and citizens, the challenge is not simply to adopt new technology, but to understand how that technology can support democracy, individuality, sovereignty, and long-term social change.
Prime-time news and current affairs television program on Canal 7, one of Santiago del Estero’s main broadcast channels, covering key political, social and regional events.
Source: Canal 7