Israeli Kindergarten. Dual-income couples often arrived late to pick up their children. As a result, the kindergarten implemented a rule that parents would face a fine if they were late; however, even though this introduced a penalty system, it also led to more delays in pickup times. By replacing feelings of guilt with money, paying a fee for being late became the new norm. After recognizing the mistake and removing the fine system, what happened? More parents started arriving late. When money becomes involved, the exchange of value fundamentally changes the nature of the relationship. And once that change occurs, it doesn’t revert. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
Advertising is a unique service business. When limited to the Internet, platform operators gather users and allow them to access the platform for free in exchange for viewing advertisements. In reality, users are not accessing the platform for free; instead, the advertiser pays for it. In other words, users do not fulfill any obligations regarding platform use, while the advertiser assumes those obligations and gains profit by notifying and exposing itself to the user. The platform operator fulfills its obligation by providing the advertising medium to the advertiser, but does not guarantee the advertisement’s success and is not accountable for the outcomes of the business. Advertising represents one of the few unique transaction structures in the world that satisfies the utility of each party without necessarily attributing benefits to the counterparty meant to receive them. Such an unusual transaction structure has been rare throughout human history. Although the advertising in...