Why should a a highly-paid engineer spend a few dollars, when they can spend the time-equivalent of dozens of dollars to not pay?
I'd like a system when some tiny amount would be deducted automatically from my account every time I read an article on different sites.
Figure out how to make that work in the market and you can be a _very_ highly-paid engineer.
Or newspapers, where you pay for the 4 sections you won't read, along with the 2 you do read. Or streaming services, paying for the thousands of shows you won't watch, along with the dozen you do watch.