If the payment system allows for microtransactions (and, ideally, allows for ads or alternative payment methods for people who don't have the cash to be micro'd), we get a worldwide web somewhat shaped like the one we have today. That seems similar to what Google is pursuing with Contributor (https://contributor.google.com/v/marketing).

If we just do big-dollar monthly or daily subscription paywalls, we end up with a Balkanized web where I can't read the article you're reading unless I pay for it. That'll significantly change the way interactions happen on the worldwide web.