It is true that most trades translate into "money" in today's society. But increasingly cryptocurrencies are getting more popular. However the focus should be on trade else we lose sight with whats happening online where data ant attention are traded without people realizing it.

The incentive is bad overall, from small to big companies, or individuals. Yes most have to trade to survive, and that is very bad and we should change this situation; it is also true that google and the like are not trading in order to survive, but to thrive in an unequal and ass backwards society.

The entire premise of my original post is that it is not good saying "if it's free, you are the product" since for one it makes it seem like whatever is "free" is not to be trusted, and second it gives google and the like approval for using the word "free" for their trade-based services.

Google is trade-based. Facebook is trade-based.
Nextcloud is trade-free. Friendica is trade-free.

This wording makes a lot more sense.

Capitalism is a manifestation of trade, and ill defined for that matter.

As for "it's not trade if it's coerced" - we are mostly coerced to trade nowadays. Want food? Trade your time, energy, skills to someone else, get a currency, go trade it for food. Food is essential yet you have to trade for it, you have no other choice. And so it goes for pretty much anything.

Trade is an exchange, voluntarily or not.

You run a business selling food, you have little choice, you have to pay your rent. I need food. I work, make money, then buy food from you. We were both coerced into this game, now who is stealing from who in his situation?

We can have endless debates as to what we mean by trade, but I go with what is generally understood - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade

I also wrote a book about the evolution of trade - tromsite.com/books/#flipbook-t…

"all employment under capitalism is coerced" I would say most employment on this planet, currently, is coerced. From US to China.

The book that I wrote is digitally available for everyone and every claim is sourced where I claim it. Click and see.

That being said, these isms are a lot of mushy ideas. Also the theory of these ideas can be widely different from their implementation.

And by "no one forced anyone to do this or that", I do not know what you are saying. Of course so many people are forced by others or circumstances. All choices are influenced by external factors: needs, efficiency, fear, etc..