{"title":"The Craziest Things People Monetize","description":"","settings":{"shuffle_questions":false,"shuffle_options":false,"reveal_answers":false,"allow_review":true,"time_limit_seconds":0,"pass_percent":0},"questions":[{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"Which Canadian startup sold canned 'fresh mountain air' for $24 per can in 2015?","explanation":"Vitality Air sold cans of fresh Canadian mountain air for around $24 each, with customers in smog-affected Chinese cities buying them by the case.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"Vitality Air"},{"label":"PureAir Co"},{"label":"Mountain Mist"},{"label":"BreatheEasy"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What happened to dirt from Calabasas, California after Kanye West visited the town in 2014?","explanation":"After Kanye West's visit, people listed vials and bags of dirt from his hometown on eBay, with some listings selling for hundreds of dollars.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"It sold on eBay for hundreds of dollars as 'Kanye West hometown dirt'"},{"label":"It was declared a protected archaeological site"},{"label":"The city paid people to remove it"},{"label":"It became a perfume ingredient"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"Which of these has actually happened in the US as a form of monetization?","explanation":"People have sold the rights to rename their children to brands. A famous case: a couple renamed their son 'GoldenPalace.com' for $15,000 from an online casino.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"Parents selling the naming rights to their own children"},{"label":"People selling their kidneys on eBay"},{"label":"Selling voting rights in local elections"},{"label":"Selling the right to skip school"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What did artist Salvatore Garau sell for roughly $18,000 in 2021?","explanation":"Garau sold an 'immaterial sculpture' — literally empty space with a certificate declaring a designated area an artwork. The buyer received nothing physical at all.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"An invisible (immaterial) sculpture made of nothing"},{"label":"A sculpture made entirely of recycled air"},{"label":"A digital sculpture that only existed in VR"},{"label":"A sculpture that was destroyed after sale"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"How much did a photo of a plain potato sell for through Getty Images in 2015?","explanation":"Photographer Kevin Abosch's 'Potato #345' — a simple image of a single potato — sold for approximately $1 million to a buyer who was a fan of his work.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"About $1 million"},{"label":"About $10,000"},{"label":"About $100,000"},{"label":"About $5 million"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What happened to listings for used pregnancy test sticks on eBay?","explanation":"Used pregnancy tests were listed as 'collectibles' on eBay before the platform banned them as biohazardous items. People actually sold them for entertainment value.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"They sold as 'collectibles' until eBay banned them"},{"label":"They were never listed because eBay blocked them instantly"},{"label":"They sold only as gag gifts with fake results"},{"label":"They became a mainstream fertility product"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What is a 'professional mourner' or 'cry for hire' service?","explanation":"Professional mourners (a tradition dating back to ancient times) are paid to cry, wail, and show grief at funerals and weddings. Some actors now offer 'cry for hire' services for events.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"Actors paid to cry and show grief at funerals or events"},{"label":"People paid to write eulogies for strangers"},{"label":"Therapists specializing in grief counseling"},{"label":"People who sell tear-vial keepsakes online"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What is 'forehead advertising' or renting your body as ad space?","explanation":"People have been paid to tattoo, wear, or display brand logos on their foreheads and bodies. A famous case: a woman sold her forehead tattoo space to a gambling site for $10,000.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"Being paid to display brand logos on your body, like a forehead tattoo ad"},{"label":"Renting out advertising screens inside shopping malls"},{"label":"Selling ad space on your own website"},{"label":"Being paid to wear branded clothing in public"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"How do people monetize 24/7 'sleep streams'?","explanation":"Streamers broadcast themselves sleeping on platforms like Twitch, earning money through viewer donations, subscriptions, and ad revenue while they sleep.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"By streaming themselves sleeping and earning donations, subs, and ad revenue"},{"label":"By selling sleep-tracking data to researchers"},{"label":"By selling 'goodnight' voice messages to subscribers"},{"label":"By charging viewers to suggest dreams"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What is a 'nothing tier' on crowdfunding platforms like Patreon?","explanation":"Some creators offer Patreon tiers with literally no rewards — just 'support.' Fans pay purely out of appreciation, making the tier a pure donation mechanism with zero deliverables.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"A subscription tier that offers no rewards — fans pay just to support"},{"label":"A tier that gives away free content to non-subscribers"},{"label":"A tier where the creator donates the money to charity"},{"label":"A tier that only unlocks exclusive emojis"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What do 'human verification' services sell in the AI era?","explanation":"As bots flood the internet, some services sell 'proof you are human' — CAPTCHA-solving, human verification, or 'I exist' certificates that people pay for to distinguish themselves in AI-dominated spaces.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"Proof that you are a real human, not a bot"},{"label":"AI-generated identity documents"},{"label":"Verified social media accounts"},{"label":"Anti-aging verification certificates"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What are 'digital twin' subscriptions?","explanation":"People are beginning to sell AI-powered versions of themselves — a 'digital twin' trained on their voice, personality, and likeness — as a subscription service others can talk to.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"AI versions of a person that others subscribe to chat with"},{"label":"Subscriptions for two monitors side by side"},{"label":"Paid accounts that mirror your social media posts"},{"label":"Services that clone your online shopping behavior"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"Why do people pay thousands for 15-minute calls with celebrities?","explanation":"Platforms like Cameo and community calls let fans pay for personalized video messages or short calls with celebrities. Some famous people charge thousands per call — a pure monetization of fame and time.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"To get a personalized video message or short call from the celebrity"},{"label":"To hear the celebrity read their biography aloud"},{"label":"To buy a share of the celebrity's next project"},{"label":"To attend a live streaming of the celebrity's daily routine"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What are 'pet NFTs' and how much money have they made?","explanation":"Pet owners have minted NFTs of their pets — digital art, photos, or tokens — with some projects generating six-figure sums for their owners during the NFT boom.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"Digital tokens/art of pets that some owners sold for six figures"},{"label":"Physical dog tags with blockchain QR codes"},{"label":"Certificates proving pet pedigree authenticity"},{"label":"Smart collars that mine cryptocurrency while walking"}]},{"kind":"single_choice","prompt":"What common pattern explains why 'crazy monetization' works?","explanation":"Most successful crazy monetization takes something abundant and free (air, dirt, attention, nothing) and creates artificial scarcity around it — the same logic behind luxury goods, crypto, and NFTs.","points":1,"options":[{"label":"Creating artificial scarcity around abundant or free things"},{"label":"Making products more expensive than competitors"},{"label":"Selling only to billionaires"},{"label":"Using shock value to get free press coverage"}]}]}