Research On Accounting For The Value Of "Free" Content Products In The Digital Economy

Under the digital background,many Internet companies can attract users’access by providing"free"content products or services to consumers.While providing products or services,these companies can collect users’data for commercial use,so as to make profits.In this business model,there is no direct transaction between producers and consumers.How to measure the value of this part is one of the difficulties in China’s GDP accounting.Firstly,this paper defines the concept and scope of"free"content products according to the related research at home and abroad,and analyzes the characteristics of"free"content products,and then systematically sorts out and analyzes the value accounting methods of"free"content products,and through summary and analysis,chooses the Contingent Valuation Method and constructs a logistic regression model to make the most widely used instant messaging and search engine in China.Estimate the value of network video products,and roughly estimate the total value created by instant messaging,search engines and network video in China from2000 to 2021.Finally,analyze the results and draw the following conclusions:(1)Through the Contingent Valuation Method,this paper estimates that the WTA of We Chat,Baidu Search and Tencent Video,the most widely used instant messaging,search engines and online video products in China,are 668.89 yuan/month,239.6 yuan/month and325.79 yuan/month,respectively.(2)Through the analysis,it is found that the value of"free"content products will be significantly influenced by consumers’gender,age and income,among which the value of We Chat is significantly influenced by consumers’income,education and age,families with higher bachelor degree and income pay more attention to We Chat,while elderly consumers think that We Chat is of lower value;The value of Baidu search is significantly influenced by consumers’gender,age and income.Female consumers are more likely than male consumers to give up using Baidu search,and older consumers are more likely to give up using Baidu search,while families with higher incomes tend to choose to keep it.The value of Tencent video is only significantly affected by consumers’income,and Per capita monthly household income above 4,000 will be more inclined to keep Tencent video.(3)By comparing the real GDP growth rate with the realGDP_T growth rate,it is found that the value of"free"content products has greatly increased since 2012,and the gap between them has gradually widened,from 0.3%in 2012 to 2.5%in 2021,which shows that since 2012,more and more Internet companies have made profits by providing free or low-priced products or services.The number and types of"free"content products on the Internet have increased substantially,and"free"content products are playing an increasingly important role in economic development.