Thanks to blockchain and distributed technology, it is now possible to financially reward viewers for visiting websites and using applications. By opting in to Gather’s hardware layer, visitors can loan their spare computing power whilst on the website/app. As the user spends time on the website/app, value is generated through the network’s application layer, with payouts in Bitcoin, GTH or local fiat currency.

The powerful effect of this tangible level of incentivization cannot be overstated. By simply visiting a website or using an app, opting-in, and reading or viewing content, the reader is compensated with money. Not points. Not e-books. Cold, hard (digital) cash. It gets better. The more time you spend relaxing and reading your favorite Gather-compatible websites, the more money you make.

Currently, consumers feel duped or intentionally kept in the dark by companies who use their data: 89% of US consumers think companies are deliberately vague about how the “data for benefit” exchange really works, according to 2019 findings from Wunderman Thompson Data.

Consumers are clamoring for agency over how their info used—and part of that agency includes an assessment of their data’s worth. This is spurring a new value exchange—one that operates with data as the primary currency.

As the data economy develops, brands will need to give consumers a clear and fair appraisal of their info.