People typically refer to the data brokerage economy that sprung up thanks to social media. As well as being experimented on (A/B tests) for dubious reasons.
But, the data brokerage economy was the only way such a thing could connect people from different economic backgrounds, etc.
Without that, to pay for social media, the options would have been paid apps, which would never have had the escape velocity to be what current social media is today
> the data brokerage economy was the only way such a thing could connect people
For people profiting from that economy, of course. For everyone else? Not at all.
> what current social media is today
...the social media of today is undesirable. People would absolutely pay for social media if the product was good enough. In fact, I believe we're heading towards that future[1].
"Free" search exists. However, so does paid[2].
The idea that companies need hyper growth, "escape velocity," or whatever to succeed is outdated.
> For people profiting from that economy, of course. For everyone else? Not at all.
How else can such a site exist, grow to such scale, and not fall over if it doesn't make money?
> People would absolutely pay for social media if the product was good enough. In fact, I believe we're heading towards that future[1].
People won't do this. A very very small percentage of people will do this. Time and time again that's been proven to be true. Which is fine, but the globally connected social media could never have existed by charging every person on Earth.
Mark my words, paid search will not overtake free search. The people who value paid social media over free social media enough to actually pay are always going to be a very small minority (albeit well represented in this forum)
