The definition of ‘virtual’ in the dictionary refers to a presumed existence or subject that is treated as if it does not exist in reality. However, in contemporary usage, ‘virtual’ describes something that cannot be physically sensed by human beings. For instance, ‘virtual currency’ exists in the form of bits, as it cannot be perceived sensibly. Just because you can’t feel it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. In fact, human senses cannot detect the smallest unit of atoms that compose all things, yet that does not negate their existence. If something that does not exist but can exist as a hypothesis is called ‘virtual,’ then it exists in reality as a concept as soon as it is assumed! When something is hypothesized, the entity that is assumed originally did not exist, and the subject who made the assumption had not existed from the beginning, thus proving its existence by expressing the will of that assumption. Therefore, distinguishing between virtual and real holds no ontological signifi...
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 themselves 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 indu...