Meanings
- uncountablebusinessA limitation, imposed through software, of digital information; in particular, the limitation on the total supply of a cryptocurrency or other crypto-based tokens.
The CryptoKitties team addressed the concept of digital scarcity for singular items by way of their digital collectibles. No two CryptoKitties are alike—each one is unique.
2021, Tiana Laurence, Seoyoung Kim, NFTs For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 222 more examples
Until 2009 digital scarcity did not exist in any meaningful way. If I had a file on my computer – a picture of a cat, say – I could copy that file for as many people as I wanted at a price too low to calculate.
2018, Simon Dingle, In Math We Trust: Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency and the Journey To Being Your Own Bank, Jonathan Ball Publishers, →ISBNWith this technological design, Nakamoto was able to invent digital scarcity. Bitcoin is the first example of a digital good that is scarce and cannot be reproduced infinitely.
2018, Saifedean Ammous, The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 177
Cite this entry
digital scarcity. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/digital%20scarcity
“digital scarcity.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/digital%20scarcity. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “digital scarcity,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/digital%20scarcity.
Source: digital scarcity on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.