Paywall
An online paywall is a method that creates a barrier to access online content that is surpassed using a paid subscription.[1] Paywalls are commonly used by news outlets to provide their content in a digital format while still maintaining a subscription model, maintaining ties to the traditional paper news outlets of the past.[2] The term paywall is also used to refer to academic and scholarly articles or journals that require a subscription or other payment to access.[3] There is debate and lack of consensus surrounding the moral and ethical soundness of paywalls.[2]
Contents
History
In 1996, The Wall Street Journal was the first national newspaper that created a paywall across the entire site.[1]
Classifications
There are various types of paywalls. The most common sub-categories are hard paywalls, soft (metered) paywalls, and freemium (Combination) paywalls. [4]
Hard
A hard paywall is the most restrictive type of paywall. Content obscured behind a hard paywall can only be accessed when a user has paid the subscription or fee. There are no free versions, and there are no free trials. A hard paywall restricts access to an entire site or service: there is no free section. There may be several tiers; each of which allow access to increasingly more content for an increasingly higher price. [1]
Soft
Freemium
Perception
Industry
Readers
Paywalls in Practice
News
Academia
Ethical Considerations
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shah, S. (n.d.). Understanding the Effects of Online Paywalls on Information Access. Oregon State University.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Harvey, B. (2021, January 20). Should News Sites Have Paywalls? The Prindle Post. https://www.prindlepost.org/2021/01/should-news-sites-have-paywalls/
- ↑ Taylor, M. (2013, January 17). Hiding your research behind a paywall is immoral. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2013/jan/17/open-access-publishing-science-paywall-immoral
- ↑ Pickard, V., & Williams, A. T. (2014). Salvation Or Folly? Digital Journalism, 2(2), 195–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2013.865967
