In the Web2 model, to "sell" is often to rent access to an audience owned by a centralized platform. Creators and businesses do not truly own their distribution channels; they pay a "tax" (ads, fees, algorithm changes) to reach their own customers. The act of selling is conditional, revocable, and monitored by the platform that owns the marketplace.
In the Web3 and 4IR context, to "sell" is to transfer sovereign ownership of a digital asset or right directly to a buyer. It is the exchange of a cryptographic key that grants verifiable access or ownership without a middleman.
Comparison of Contexts:
The "Sell" primitive in this ontology is the Exchange Protocol: a sovereign transfer of rights where the seller defines the terms, the smart contract enforces them, and the asset travels with the buyer, independent of any single platform.