What makes money, money?

Money is defined here as a basic system that should work as a unit of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value, with distribution and fungibility as additional important traits. The article says the three-legged stool model is meant to characterize money both historically and in possible future forms, including Open Money. It states that a money system that is too centralized or limited in scope can hinder economic participation, and that Open Money aims to address this by using decentralized networks to achieve broader inclusion. The piece presents money as a technology that has changed alongside shifts from barter to commodity money, metal coins, paper currency and digital transactions.