ContributionEconomy.global is an independent research initiative exploring the architecture of human value after automation.
It exists to define and document the transition from platform economies to contribution economies—from Web2 extraction to Web4 coordination.
The Question
When machines can produce everything, what becomes of human value?
Not work. Not productivity. Not output.
Contribution. Verified, measurable transformation of other humans.
Platform economies optimized for attention and extraction. They captured identity, locked in users, and monetized engagement.
That model ends when AI makes production infinite and attention worthless.
What survives is verified contribution—provable human transformation that cascades through capability networks.
This requires new infrastructure.
What We’re Building
This site operates as both blueprint and foundation:
Theory: The frameworks, protocols, and semantic language for contribution economies
Practice: The infrastructure, standards, and specifications that make Web4 architecturally possible
We’re defining the semantic layer while building the coordination infrastructure. Documenting the protocols before they’re standardized. Creating the foundation while the paradigm shift is still emergent.
Core Protocols
Web4 requires coordination layers that don’t exist yet:
ContributeID — Portable identity based on verified contributions, not declarations
Attestation — Cryptographic proof systems for human transformation
MeaningLayer — Semantic architecture for AI-era purpose
ContributePay — Economic protocols for contribution-based value
These aren’t products. They’re open coordination infrastructure.
How It Works
New research and contributions are published regularly as the frameworks develop.
This isn’t a platform you join. It’s a protocol you build on.
All content is open. Share freely. Attribute clearly. Distribute openly.
The research operates independently, outside institutional funding, platform capture, or commercial extraction.
Open Infrastructure
Web4 is protocol, not property.
The work stands on its merit. The protocols succeed through adoption. The ideas propagate through contribution.
Identity is what you transform, not what you declare.
Built in public. Governed openly. Owned by no one.
Contact (not active yet)
For collaboration, questions, or to contribute:
hello@contributioneconomy.global
For protocol specifications and technical discussions:
research@contributioneconomy.global
Resources
RSS Feed: Subscribe to new contributions via Proof Stream
Protocols: Specifications published at Web4 Standards
All content: CC BY-SA 4.0. Share freely. Attribute clearly.
Source: https://contributioneconomy.global
HOME 4
Web4 isn’t about what you own.
It’s about what you contribute.
Value shifts from attention to attestation.
Meaning becomes measurable.
You’re early.