Most (all?) prior mediums were initially pay to play. Print, radio, telegraph, TV, cable, fax, ATMs. Then there's some kind of phase change. Like maybe when co

Most (all?) prior mediums were initially pay to play. Print, radio, telegraph, TV, cable, fax, ATMs. Then there's some kind of phase change. Like maybe when costs reduce enough for Metcalfe's Law to kick-in. [I don't quite recall what some other theorists have said. Shirky's observations about cost of coordination. McLuhan's distinctions between passive and active engagement (aka push vs pull).] Apple's privacy power play may be the first time someone manages to put the toothpaste back into the tube, for an entire medium and by extension ecosystem. Some mediums, like rail and phones, manage to remain pay to play. Maybe there's something to be learned by compare and contrast.