Quote from: BlackstarCollective on May 04, 2017, 01:39:59 PM

Hi all,

I was wondering whether or not a decentralized environment such as Ethereum, and all projects built on top, will be very expensive to use? I see the point of decentralization, but since anything you do on the network costs fees, won't this be a huge barrier compared to what the mainstream is used to today? (Ie everything should be free or close to)

For instance, if I want to use StorJ or Golem or anything like that, won't I need to pay fees in both their native currencies as well as in Ether?

So if we were to have a decentralized social network, would all users have to "pay" to use it ?

My understanding is limited, but I think projects like Storj and Golem just involve payments in their native token, not double-paying with two tokens. I can't imagine why they'd complicate that, at any rate.

Such services will cost something (or be dependent on revenue streams like from advertising), but with Crypto the possibility for micro-payments is much more plausible than with traditional fiat systems. So services can be offered for fractions of a penny using automated smart contracts that would be hopelessly inefficient if done using fiat transaction mechanisms.

Things like the crypto social networks now arising have payment channels built in, but it remains to be seen what all will be free and what will involve payments. I expect most "basic" services will be free to pull users in, with only "premium" functions really involving costs. And there will be opportunities to receive payments as easily as you spend them, making them close to cost-neutral for the average user.