THE DIGITAL SOCIAL CONTRACT We have, perhaps unwittingly from the user’s point of view, signed a new social contract in the digital age. Platforms, advertisers and users exchange value as a mix of data, dollars and engagement. More complex than the previous model – where media owners simply sold advertising or subscriptions – the new dynamic becomes more valuable to everyone as platforms grow and network effects kick in. Before the Digital Revolution, the situation seemed quite clear: the media earned its revenue from a combination of what advertisers paid them for placing ads and consumers paid them on the cover price or subscription. Now there’s a different type of relationship, a rather more subtle and less visible “contract” between the parties: the media owner, the advertiser, and the consumer. The Age of And I’ve been describing the digital world more as this and that, rather than this not that. This is no accident. When it comes to digital advertising we use the word “and” quite a lot. It’s a word that has attracted attention before, especially by business