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I can imagine a vision of the future where the internet has become more akin to a public utility, like electricity, and the novelty of websites has worn off. I

I can imagine a vision of the future where the internet has become more akin to a public utility, like electricity, and the novelty of websites has worn off. In this world, I can imagine a patronage model working: wealthy individuals support particular journalists, perhaps privately, and the infrastructure of the internet is used to get the word out in a way that is analogous to the chat or messaging of the present.

zozbot234 7y ago
Yes, the transaction costs of sending money over the internet (even BTC has a pretty high energy-cost per transaction, that's ultimately paid by BTC hodlers) mean that the relatively-wealthy are far more likely to provide this kind of support. It's a lot cheaper for one person to fund a journalist, blogger etc. with $10,000 than for 10,000 people to fund her with $1 each.