Instant Settlement Series: Strömmande betalningar i realtid

By Bitcoin Tidskrift - 3 månader sedan - Läsningstid: 11 minuter
Fre 2 feb 2024 6:00

Instant Settlement Series: Strömmande betalningar i realtid

With the previous articles, we found the disconnect between paid-for work and paid-for time. We also understood that if you want to get paid you have to provide work that is valuable for others. So when the person consumes the benefit of your work, the exchange happens value for value - work for sats. But what happens if the benefit that the consumer experiences is not a momentary but a continuous process? There are a few examples of this. I will start with the one that is not that captivating but still valuable.

Streamingtjänster, liksom andra branscher, brottas med begränsningarna i fiat-betalningssystemet. Avgiftsbördan och avsaknaden av lämplig teknik för strömmande betalningar har tvingat dem att anta liknande begränsningar som andra branscher. Detta översätts till att debitera användare på månadsbasis.

Med Lightning Network har vi tekniken för att streama sats för innehåll. Inte längre begränsad till månadsabonnemang, du betalar för det du förbrukar i realtid. Oavsett om du tittar sporadiskt eller binger mycket, möjliggör streamingbetalningar en mer personlig och effektiv betalningsmodell. På så sätt har skaparen av innehållet och användaren en direkt koppling för varje minut som innehållet sänds. Med strömmande betalningar nu kan du säga adjö till prenumerationsbetalningar.

Avslöjar en ny era av rättvis kompensation och ansvarsskyldighet i filmproduktion

Imagine you've created a movie or documentary. Traditionally, you'd charge people for a ticket, essentially asking them to pay upfront for future value, creating a slight disconnect. Now, with streaming payments using sats, consumers can pay as they watch. If your movie sucks, they might only pay for the first 30 minutes. However, you still receive value, and viewers won't feel overcharged for something they didn't enjoy. If your movie is great they not only stream sats the whole time but at the end, they leave a tip.

On the receiving side of the movie most people involved in it received a salary for doing their job. As we already know this is not aligning the whole structure in the same direction. Some people do not care at all how good the movie is if they have already been paid and do not receive a bonus further. Some people might care about reputation in the market but very few just want to do the best job. Again, we went through this, and as you are guessing you just do a split payment in the backend where all the people in the credits actually receive sats or even milisatoshis based on their contribution. This was something I did not expect that Bitcoin would disrupt. This way the reputation is directly linked to the payment and a lot more people will fight to have the best movie. You can be someone who contributed to a project and wants to stay anonymous for whatever reason but still receive money - Lightning instant settlement is the way to do it.

These concepts should not be new if you read through the last 3 artiklarna. In addition, people in the Bitcoin space are familiar with the Value for Value (V4V) podcasting and that is very close to what I am describing above. While the technology for podcasting is already in place, it's surprising how few podcasts leverage this technology to implement split payments effectively. They give that responsibility to some hosting service that decides to take a 5% split for themselves and the other 95% goes to the wallet of the show. Why not do the split the proper way? The hosting service provides value so they should get a percentage but if you are 3 people involved in the production of the podcast you should have that 95% split so it goes to those individuals. There's no excuse, especially for Bitcoin podcasts, not to make this effort and implement split payments appropriately.

Den dynamiska framtiden för Pay-as-you-go inom innehållskonsumtion

In this example, the pay-as-you-go model holds true for continuous experiences, like streaming. Now, let's revisit the movie example. If you're a theater, you are essentially the hosting provider for the movie. The quality of the theater experience can vary; one theater might have uncomfortable chairs, while another boasts luxurious massage chairs. The theater with subpar seating might receive a 3% share of the movie's streaming sats revenue, while the one with comfortable massage chairs might earn 5% for each sat stream paying for the movie. Furthermore, if a viewer activates the massage function of the chair, additional sats are streamed for each second that the function is on. I do not know the exact payment dynamics between theaters and movie studios but I bet there are prepayments and funds held at multiple points in the fiat payment process. With the adoption of the Lightning Network, theaters no longer have to prepay for movies to be projected on their screens. They can now observe which movies are most popular in real time and adjust their projections accordingly to optimize revenues. This benefits the consumer and optimizes profits for themselves and the creators of the movie.

Nu ser du att innehållet får sin värdeström för den kontinuerliga upplevelsen och alla i filmbranschen kommer att kämpa för att ge den bästa upplevelsen under mest tid. Ju bättre upplevelse desto mer sats flödar deras väg. På grund av innehållets mycket subjektiva karaktär, där en person kan anse att en film är undermålig, kan en annan beteckna den som sin favorit. Denna subjektivitet är anledningen till att jag tror att de flesta strömmande innehåll inte kommer att ha ett förutbestämt pris. Även filmer kan anta V4V-modellen, liknande vad Adam Curry är banbrytande inom podcasting. Du tittar till exempel på en film, och under krediterna visas en framträdande QR-kod, så att du kan bestämma hur mycket du vill skicka till skaparna av filmen. Du kommer att lyssna på en låt eller en podcast på samma sätt. Oavsett om du fördefinierar en streaminghastighet per minut eller begär betalning i slutet, är båda alternativen tekniskt möjliga. Men marknaden kommer i slutändan att avgöra vilket alternativ som råder som det bättre.

Dessutom, varför inte ha en budtävling för alla evenemang som har tilldelat platser? Den som bjuder högst för en biljett får stå på första raden av konserten eller en idrottsarena. På så sätt lämnas subjektiviteten åt alla tittare att avgöra hur värdefull den verkligen är. På så sätt säkerställer det en full arena också för om det inte finns något värde i att delta i evenemanget kommer folk inte att bjuda på platserna eller bara betala 1 satt för det.

Revolutionerande taxitransaktioner för både förare och passagerare

Den kontinuerliga upplevelsen eller tjänsten för streaming kan vara vad som helst i den fysiska sfären. Jag ska ta en titt på hur omedelbar avveckling kan se ut inom transporttjänster. En sådan transporttjänst är taxitjänsten. Även om Uber decentraliserade taxibolagen, vilket är bra, gjorde de ingenting åt att decentralisera betalningsprocessen. Lightning Network fixar det och mer.

Med ett strömmande betalningsalternativ för varje rörelsemeter behöver taxichaufförer inte längre vänta till slutdestinationen för att få sin betalning. I en värld av omedelbar avveckling sker betalning medan du går, vilket eliminerar risken för taxichauffören om huruvida passageraren kommer att betala i slutet av resan. Även om detta kanske inte är en banbrytande förbättring, finns det flera ytterligare fördelar att överväga.

Varför kör de flesta taxibilar med kontanter? Taxichaufförer behöver på de flesta ställen en POS-enhet för att kunderna ska kunna betala för en bättre användarupplevelse (UX). Det kan vara en bättre UX men å andra sidan skapar det problem för drivrutinerna på båda håll:

With an app tailored for the taxi experience and integrated with the Lightning Network, these issues become irrelevant. There is no need for additional equipment, no payment processing fees for receiving money, and no exposure to visible cash, reducing the risk of being a target for theft. Now you can have a better UX with better security and better margins - an additional benefit is that it will be paid with Bitcoin. Not only that but just like the example with the movie theater chairs drivers will be incentivized to make the travel experience even better. They can offer - to watch a movie, video games like PlayStation, or massage chair. If you choose to use those extra experiences on top of the travel experience you have to increase the sats streaming their way.

An additional benefit for the travel experience of customers arises when multiple passengers in a taxi have different destinations. Traditionally, the taxi meter ticks for the entire journey, and when the first person is dropped off, determining a fair amount for their portion becomes complex. However, with the Lightning Network, it's conceivable to streamline this process. Imagine a scenario where three passengers enter a taxi, each with distinct destinations. Each person scans a QR code upon entering, linking their streaming sats to the taxi app. The app manages split-receiving, dynamically adjusting the distribution of streaming payments based on how many people are in the taxi. As passengers are dropped off one by one, the app seamlessly adjusts the split-receiving, providing a fair and efficient payment solution for each individual's share of the journey.

Optimera stadstransporter med strömmande Sats

Den föreslagna modellen för delad mottagning genom QR-koder och streamingsats kan sträcka sig bortom taxitjänster till andra transportsätt, som bussar. Tanken är att beräkna den genomsnittliga kostnaden per mil (eller meter/fot) för att tillhandahålla transporttjänsten, inklusive faktorer som bränsle, underhåll och förarlön, och lägga till en vinstmarginal. Passagerare som kommer in i fordonet skannar en QR-kod, och appen justerar dynamiskt streamingbetalningarna baserat på antalet personer ombord.

For buses, this model allows for real-time adjustment of streaming payments as passengers enter and exit. If there are 30 people on the bus the split is between them. At the next stop, 10 people are dropped off and 5 people get on board - now the sats stream is divided by 25 people. As the number of people on the bus changes at each stop, the streaming sats are proportionally divided among the passengers. This approach can lead to more efficient and flexible city transportation. Late-night buses will be more expensive for the passengers because of the fewer riders, while buses during peak hours may offer a more cost-effective traveling experience as payments are shared among more passengers.

Detta system uppmuntrar transportoptimering kring evenemang, som konserter eller sportspel, där privata bussar eller minibussar väntar på att fyllas på innan de avgår. Rutter kan justeras dynamiskt eftersom du kommer att ha ett system som spårar hur många personer som befinner sig i fordonen vid vilken tidpunkt och på vilken plats på kartan. Viktigt är att denna information förblir anonym, eftersom ingen KYC-information krävs för Lightning Network-betalningar.

Den strömlinjeformade betala-från-distans

Now with this streaming money feature, it can be applied differently. Let’s go back to the taxi service for a moment. The pay-from-a-distance feature that is available in the Lightning Network can significantly enhance the experience of ordering a taxi. Instead of the traditional model where drivers wait patiently and charge fixed fees when passengers enter the car, this model introduces streaming sats from the moment the passenger accepts the ride. Here's how it works:

By shifting the waiting cost to the passenger, there's a strong incentive for both parties to be prompt, and the system becomes more efficient. Additionally, the passenger's responsibility to follow the car reduces operational costs related to alerting passengers via message or a call. Any inefficient time management becomes a cost for the passenger. This model aligns incentives for both drivers and passengers, creating a more seamless cost and time-effective taxi experience.

The concept of paying from a distance can be creatively applied to various scenarios, providing convenience and peace of mind. For instance, when it comes to sending your child somewhere with a taxi, traditional concerns about trusting them with money or the driver's reliability may arise. However, with the ability to stream sats for the ride, you gain real-time visibility on your device, tracking your child's journey and ensuring they reach the intended destination safely. This pay-from-a-distance feature extends beyond transportation and can be applied to other continuous services. For example, daycare services charge per minute, allowing you to stream payments in real-time, ensuring accurate and fair compensation for the duration your child spends there. Additionally, you can send a present to a friend, such as a massage session, and pay for it in a streaming fashion, covering the cost continuously based on the duration of the service. The flexibility of streaming payments not only offers real-time tracking and control but also opens up new possibilities for various services where charging per minute or duration is relevant. Those services can be paid on the spot or from a distance.

Jag vet att det nu ser ut som att vi går baklänges från den ursprungliga punkten att aldrig betala pengar för tid. Den viktigaste skillnaden här är att du kanske betalar för tidigare tid för tjänsten, men under den tiden får du en kontinuerlig ström av värde (arbete utfört) så att du streamar värde tillbaka för att betala för det. I vissa fall är tidsåtgången faktiskt ett korrekt mått på det utförda arbetet.

It's true that developing apps with such functionalities is technically feasible, and there might be entrepreneurs and developers willing to explore these possibilities. However, a significant challenge arises when considering custodial control over users' funds. Small startups might find it financially burdensome and complex to operate as custodians, potentially steering away from such responsibilities. This will take not only high responsibility but also a very big financial wall and expertise to obtain the licenses that comply with the ever-changing regulations. On the other hand, large tech companies with substantial resources could afford to take on the role of custodians, presenting both a business opportunity for them and a risk for the users. The move by some tech giants, like X(formerly Twitter), to obtain such licenses can be seen as a strategic measure for self-preservation over their own finances. This is also an opportunity to consolidate control over not only user data but user finances within their platforms.

The Breez SDK offers a powerful solution, empowering developers to create diverse applications without having to worry about payment intricacies. Its non-custodial nature is a key advantage, eliminating the need for licenses. The infrastructure of it is made in such a way that it is peer-to-peer so no one is holding money for someone else. The app developers focus on the experience within the app and just plug in the code. This combination of features gives startups a competitive edge and reverses the advantage held by large tech companies. While they go through the complex process of getting a license the startup can integrate the global payment network (the Lightning Network) in one day. Even if certain tech giants choose to lock users' funds within their applications, alternative options will continue to be developed, and users will have the freedom to opt-out. Just like people are choosing Bitcoin over fiat.

Vem är nu redo att ge oss alla dessa upplevelser i sin app?

Detta är ett gästinlägg av Ivan Makedonski. Åsikter som uttrycks är helt deras egna och återspeglar inte nödvändigtvis BTC Incs eller Bitcoin Tidskrift.

Ursprunglig källa: Bitcoin magazine