Payback Digital

My Question for the room at SXSW: What’s the first industry to collapse when individuals truly own their data? Advertising? Data brokers? Third-party tracking? Consumer profiling? When the raw data stays with the individual, entire business models change. Curious what other people think about this. #SXSW2026 #FutureOfTheInternet #DigitalEconomy

I am going to #SXSW2026 with one belief. Data ownership isn’t ideology, it’s infrastructure. The next phase of the internet won’t be defined by platforms that extract value from users. It will be defined by systems that let people own, control, and monetise access to their own data. That’s not a philosophy shift. It’s a structural one. #SXSW2026 #SXSW #dataownership

The internet is evolving: From data extraction to data ownership. Here’s the difference: Extraction = Platforms monetize you. Ownership = You monetize access. That’s not a small change. It’s an economic gravity shift. #SXSW2026 has always surfaced cultural inflection points. This is one! Who's going? #SXSW2026 #SXSW #DataOwnership

What if companies stopped spying on your data…and could only ask one question: “Do you match?” No raw data. No tracking. No selling profiles behind your back. Just a yes or no. While your data stays in your control. Would that change everything? Hoping to talk more about this at #SXSW2026 Who's coming? #SXSW #dataownership

I am going to SXSW with one question. What if no company could ever see your raw data again? Not your browsing history. Not your personal profile. Not the data you generate every day online. Instead, companies could only ask simple questions, yes or no. And your data stays locked in your own private vault. That’s the internet model worth building! #SXSW #SXSW2026 #dataownership

Heading to #SXSW2026 to explain payback is the simplest way: you can’t control the internet, but you can own your data! Payback gives you a private data vault that belongs to you for life. Here’s the shift: No data gets exchanged. Companies can only ask simple queries: yes or no. If you qualify, you get paid in Invitations. Your data never leaves your vault. No one touches it. That’s usually the moment people go: “Wait… that changes everything.” See you at SXSW, who's coming? #SXSW #SXSW2026 #dataownership

So tell me this...would you rather: A) See ads forever B) Get paid for your attention C) Own your data and choose who gets access The internet is slowly moving toward a new model. Which one do you choose? #SXSW #DataOwnership #DigitalRights #FutureOfTheInternet

Surveillance advertising isn’t broken, it’s working exactly as designed. Your attention is tracked, your behavior is analyzed, your data is monetized. The real question isn’t how to fix it, it’s what should replace it. #SXSW #DataOwnership #DigitalRights #SurveillanceCapitalism

Let’s talk about the hidden structure of today’s internet. D.U.M.B. = Deceived, Used, Manipulated, and Betrayed. To break it down: Deceived: “Free.” Used: Attention harvested. Manipulated: Algorithms tuned to trigger. Betrayed: Data sold without consent. The internet economy deserves a better model. #SXSW #DataOwnership #DigitalRights #SurveillanceCapitalism

What would the internet look like if you owned your data instead of platforms? That’s the question behind Payback, a question I am willing to explore more #SXSW2026 #SXSW2026 #CreatorEconomy #AI

@ManLyNFT @CESS_Storage Data ownership is quickly becoming the real battleground of the AI economy. At Payback we’re exploring models where individuals retain control of the data layer powering these systems.

We talk a lot about "ownership" in Web3 right?! But what about owning your data? As AI scales and attention becomes currency, data is the asset. Yet most of us give it away for free. @CESS_Storage is building for a different reality where your files, your feeds, your digital output becomes programmable, monetizable, and sovereign. Don't think about it like another decentralized storage, this is decentralized data VALUE INFRASTRUCTURE. Live, fast, and built for the real-time economy: AI, DePIN, IoT, media. 🔗 Don't be the one who faded and start farming now: cess.network/deshareairdrop…

@johnrobb This is exactly the tension the internet is running into right now. At Payback we’re exploring models where people actually retain ownership of the data that powers these systems.

Not only that. Even at the most fundamental level, the system is broken. We don't even own our data. Data about us and what we do. These companies are allowed to strip mine our data and turn it into AIs and services worth TRILLIONS.

Parler CEO “Every vendor from text message services to email providers to our lawyers all ditched us too on the same day” This is a disconnection cascade. Once the plutocrats at the big companies disconnect you, everyone else follows (or else). deadline.com/2021/01/parler…

@Verily @VindellW @sxsw Personalized care powered by connected data is powerful. At Payback we’ve been exploring what it looks like when individuals actually retain ownership of the data powering those systems.

Learn how AI-powered tools are connecting disparate data—from wearables to health records—for personalized, preventative, whole-person care. Join Verily's @VindellW and panel experts at @sxsw on March 17, 2:30 PM at The Line Hotel in Austin, TX. veri.ly/4rMlotb #SXSW2026

@BrianZisook @sxsw @audiomack The superfan economy is such an interesting shift. At Payback we’ve been thinking about what happens when creators actually own the fan data layer behind those relationships.

Headed to @SXSW next month. I’ll be speaking on “The Future of Streaming in the Superfan Era,” exploring how platforms like @Audiomack are supporting direct fan relationships, monetization, and long-term community building. schedule.sxsw.com/events/PP11624…

@marcus_shpak @DataHaven_xyz Tools like this are a great step toward user control online. At Payback we’ve been exploring what it looks like when people actually own the data platforms use.

Owning my keys and controlling access policies is real data sovereignty. Centralized platforms hold all the power over accounts and policy enforcement. @DataHaven_xyz shifts that power to users where it belongs. True ownership, not just storage space rental

@AdblockPlus Tools like this are a great step toward user control online. At Payback we’ve been exploring what it looks like when people actually own the data platforms use.

Looks good. Works hard. Adblock Plus helps block annoying ads and protect you from online tracking — without ruining your browsing experience. This is what control online looks like. #adblockplus #privacyfirst #techthatworks #saferinternet

@recap_david AI collapsing production costs is huge. At Payback we’re exploring what happens when the people whose data and likeness power these systems actually retain ownership of it.

I know a guy running AI podcast interviews as paid ads... 4.2x ROAS. $0 spent on creators. $0 spent on production. Just specific prompting + Calico AI. Here's 11 AI video tactics brands are using to create viral ads for nearly $0: 1. AI street interviews (you can't tell they're fake) 2. Podcast-style clips that look 100% real 3. Viral food videos with zero kitchen 4. Anatomical video animations 5. Localization at scale — clone ads into any language instantly 6. Try-on videos without a single model 7. Shock hooks getting 47% higher completion rates 8. Product-style commercials 9. POV adventure content for travel brands 10. Real estate transformation videos 11. AI unboxing videos Most marketers have no idea these exist yet. I put together a free PDF with the exact prompts for all 11 along with the tool I'm using. Comment "AI ADS" below, follow, and I'll send you everything (must be following so I can message you!).

If you’re not paying for the product, you’re not the customer..... you’re the inventory! For 20+ years, the internet monetized attention this way. At Payback, we’re exploring what happens when the inventory owns the data and shares in the upside. Excited to talk more about this on #SXSW2026 and connect with changemakers! #SXSW #SXSW2026 #CreatorEconomy #AI

The internet trained you to accept something you never agreed to. Radio was “free” because you listened to ads. TV was “free” because you tolerated interruption. The internet scaled that model but now your data is extracted continuously. You never signed a contract. Now the internet is evolving from data extraction to data ownership. I have a question at SXSW: what replaces surveillance advertising? #SXSW #AI #DataOwnership #SurveillanceCapitalism #DigitalOwnership

@screensourced AI, mental health, and the creator economy all intersect around incentives. At Payback, we’re exploring ownership-first models that aim to realign that system, feels like a timely SXSW focus.

SXSW 2026 will feature over 250 sessions on AI, mental health, and more. #SXSW #CreatorEconomy SXSW 2026 to Host More Than 250 Sessions Focused on the Creator Economy, AI, Mental Health and More