If the payment system allows for microtransactions (and, ideally, allows for ads or alternative payment methods for people who don't have the cash to be micro'd

If the payment system allows for microtransactions (and, ideally, allows for ads or alternative payment methods for people who don't have the cash to be micro'd), we get a worldwide web somewhat shaped like the one we have today. That seems similar to what Google is pursuing with Contributor (https://contributor.google.com/v/marketing https://contributor.google.com/v/marketing). If we just do big-dollar monthly or daily subscription paywalls, we end up with a Balkanized web where I can't read the article you're reading unless I pay for it. That'll significantly change the way interactions happen on the worldwide web.