Thanks, MiddleFingerToTheMan!
Why on earth would anyone invest if the native token won't accrue value?
Being a particiaption token, DFN gives several privileges:
1. Installing and running smart contract software (playing the role of gas)
2. The creation of mining identities by making security deposits.
3. The creation of neurons (part of the BNS) by making security deposits.
4. The attachment of private cloud networks to the public DFINITY network, again via deposits.
Of course, participation in mining will be rewarded financially.
It's clear that most investors will hope that the token's value will increase. However, we encourage DFN holders to actually use their tokens by contributing to the system. For this purpose, String Labs is working on consumer DFINITY mining & neuron device concepts. See
https://dfinity.org/pdf-viewer/pdfs/viewer.html?file=../library/an-intelligent-decentralized-cloud.pdf (page 22).