Cryptocurrencies change everything for "value" in the same way the internet changed everything for "information".
Bitcoins are the logical COMPLIMENT of traditional bits due to being un-copyable.
Compare:
PUBLIC "internet bits" are FREE and have a value judged by the INDIVIDUAL reader.
PRIVATE bitcoins have COST and have a value judged by the SOCIAL exchanges.
I don't buy this complementary theory.
First of all, not all bits on the internet are free. Some are locked up and some cost real money. Some bits are valued by communities or in a social context. So that part is clearly nonsense.
And as your comparison of bitcoin to bits, well bitcoin is a
subset of bits. Something cannot be complementary to something it is part of.
As information can mean different things to different people/machines i would even say that there is no clear distinction between 'free' bits and 'protected' bits. It's in the eye of the beholder and what she/he makes of the information.
It seems pretty contrived to compare the two like this.