• Link.wav [he/him]@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Are you really saying that utility and entertainment isn’t worth 30 seconds of ads and it’s better to not support them at all?

    Yes, I am.

    I strongly disagree with your last point as well. It’s the increased monetization of the internet that has led to enshittification.

    • xray@beehaw.org
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      1 year ago

      May I ask why? That seems unsustainable to expect to be able to get the same amount of entertainment and utility from creators without helping compensate them.

      Also, I would argue monetization has had to increase because of people using adblockers and the Silicon Valley mentality of “grow first, make money later.” Now that interest rates are high, social media companies are being forced to make money wherever they can since money isn’t cheap anymore.

      If this is purely companies already being profitable and trying to just suck as much money as possible from their user base, then I would agree with you. But Twitter has been rumored for months to be close to having their lights shut off, and Reddit apparently isn’t profitable. Idk about YouTube, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re not profitable and/or wouldn’t be able to exist without Google being its parent company today due to their other businesses diversifying their revenue streams.

      • Link.wav [he/him]@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        I don’t see YouTube as a money-making endeavor, so I couldn’t care less if it is profitable. I’m not at a pay grade nor in a position to concern myself with a content creator’s income, and I’d prefer to simply browse non-monetized content for free. The thing I found attractive about YouTube is that anyone can share anything for free. The very first video uploaded to YouTube was a phone-quality short video of one of its creators rambling about some elephants at the zoo. That’s the YouTube I liked and enjoyed, and I hate what it’s become. I don’t find the content that’s pushed at me to be interesting at all, at least not interesting enough that I would ever want to monetarily support it or would be willing to watch an ad.

        I spent many, many hours as a mod author for Skyrim. Never did it cross my mind to attempt to make a profit. I would much prefer this type of content. I don’t really care if someone is able to turn a profit, I don’t care if a site goes down because it is unsustainable, nor do I care about consuming content for free if I am able to access it without too much trouble.

        I especially don’t care if a large evil corporation like Google is able to turn a profit, and I am categorically opposed to the idea of exploiting normal people’s time and resources in their attempt at earning a profit.

        • xray@beehaw.org
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          1 year ago

          That makes sense. Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective.