digital scarcity
English
Noun
digital scarcity (uncountable)
- (originally) The lack of access to digital infrastructure such as the Internet.
- (cryptocurrencies) A limitation, imposed through software, of digital information; in particular, the limitation on the total supply of a cryptocurrency or other crypto-based tokens.
- 2018, Simon Dingle, In Math We Trust: Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and the Journey To Being Your Own Bank, Jonathan Ball Publishers, →ISBN:
- Until 2009 digital scarcity did not exist in any meaningful way. If I had a file on my computer – a picture of a cat, say – I could copy that file for as many people as I wanted at a price too low to calculate.
- 2018, Saifedean Ammous, The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 177:
- With this technological design, Nakamoto was able to invent digital scarcity. Bitcoin is the first example of a digital good that is scarce and cannot be reproduced infinitely.
- 2021, Tiana Laurence; Seoyoung Kim, NFTs For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 22:
- The CryptoKitties team addressed the concept of digital scarcity for singular items by way of their digital collectibles. No two CryptoKitties are alike—each one is unique.
References
- Jaya Klara Brekke; Aron Fischer (2020-11-25), “Digital scarcity”, in Internet Policy Review