In the Web2 economy, to "pay" is to authorize a third-party intermediary (a bank, a card processor, or a platform) to move numbers between centralized ledgers. The process is high-friction, requiring permission, sensitive personal data exposure, and settlement times that can take days. The user is not the true sender; they are merely the requestor, asking a custodian to move value on their behalf.
In the Web3 and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) paradigm, to "pay" is to execute a direct, peer-to-peer state change on a distributed ledger. It is not a request; it is a cryptographic command. Value is not "moved" by an intermediary; it is teleported instantly through smart contract execution. The act of paying transforms from a permissioned request to an immutable, atomic settlement.
Comparison of Contexts:
The "Pay" primitive in this ontology represents the Wormhole Event: the instantaneous settlement of value that collapses the distance between the intent to acquire and the right to access.