When Everything Becomes a Deal

Cliff Potts, editor-in-chief, WPS News
Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — May 23, 2026 — 4:05 p.m.

Transaction is not the enemy.

Healthy societies run on transaction.

You pay for a service.
You receive the service.
Both sides understand the terms.

That is fair exchange.

The problem begins when transaction quietly turns into extraction.

Transaction is open. Extraction hides its intent.

Transaction says, “Here is what I offer, here is what I ask.”
Extraction says, “Give first, and I’ll explain later.”

Transaction respects boundaries.
Extraction pushes past them.

In recent years, the line between the two has blurred.

Dating apps monetize attention.
Platforms monetize intimacy.
Movements monetize outrage.
Influencers monetize identity.

None of this is automatically wrong. Earning a living is not a crime. Selling a service is not immoral.

But when everything becomes a deal, something changes.

Friendship becomes networking.
Romance becomes subscription.
Community becomes fundraising.
Affection becomes leverage.

When that shift happens, trust erodes.

A healthy transaction leaves both people clear about what happened.

An extraction leaves one person confused, pressured, or diminished.

The difference is not always money. The difference is reciprocity.

Reciprocity means both sides give and both sides understand what is being exchanged.

Extraction depends on imbalance. It depends on speed. It depends on urgency. It depends on someone feeling too afraid, too lonely, or too hopeful to slow down.

This is not just about scams. It is about culture.

If we treat every interaction as a negotiation, we begin to assume everyone is a potential mark. If we assume everyone is a potential mark, we stop building trust. Without trust, even honest transactions feel suspect.

The answer is not to reject transaction. The answer is to restore clarity.

Say what you want.
Say what you offer.
Respect a no.
Accept a boundary.

If a connection only survives when one side keeps paying, that is not partnership. If a relationship collapses the moment someone asks for transparency, that is not stability.

We cannot remove money from modern life. But we can refuse to let it define every human interaction.

Not everything is a deal.
Not everything should be.

A stable society depends on more than contracts. It depends on fairness, honesty, and restraint.

Transaction builds systems.
Extraction corrodes them.

Knowing the difference — and acting on it — is how trust is rebuilt.