So was our past. How does cryptocurrency upset the balance of power that has caused centralisation to occur?
There have been scam after scam with cryptocurrencies, and despite every player experimenting with the blockchain concept, few results.
Cryptocurrencies have a very real cultural problem they need to overcome. This is a response to that cultural problem.
"the other crypto bans (Facebook ads [...] etc.) remind me of [...] old regimes afraid of [...] competition that aims to remove/replace them"
Cryptocurrencies will not replace social networks.
If Facebook works because we spend the most valuable asset we have to offer which is our finite human life, then what does that have to do with bitcoin? We spend our life and we spend our money, so if one platform is based on ad revenue from our attention and the other platform is based on revenue from our trading of goods, then there may be a parallel where everything has a value even if it is not as tangible as heavy, cold, dirty gold.
Whether a "social" network or a "store of value" network, both of these examples exist because we are obsessed with being connected to one another. One could say that a big difference is that Bitcoin nodes don't usually share baby pics and Facebook posts don't usually parody wire transfers, but really both could easily do both.
At their guts, Facebook and Bitcoin are based on normal computers that have the knowledge and power to create streams of data from me to you. So, do we need a third party or can we handle it ourselves?
Disclaimer: I have some of my ETH in cryptokitties https://www.cryptokitties.co/ which is a crypto platform for trading kitten pics on the Ethereum network with an exact fiat currency equivalent. I can wire transfer you my kitten within minutes, value and all, but I won't. She's too cute.