I have recently noticed that when it comes to technology the history keeps repeating itself. New technologies are always invented for the sake of making simpler for people using science and knowledge, But later they’re always turned to profit-based services.
Iteration 0:
Years and Years ago, the first TV was invented. But that TV back then things weren’t surely the same.
TV channels started as basic channels for news and movies. But then in order to finance their TV channels they just thought: ” what if… we can make money from these channels to cover the cost?”. Thus, commercials started to air on TV. But people didn’t like the commercials, they were so long!
Later,probably someone thought it would be a good thing to save people from having to watch commercials,but, for the right price. and thus we have Paid channels that require an extra subscription fee.
So why I’m I telling this nice story? Well, because I noticed that same thing happened again with internet streaming.
Iteration 1:
In order to run away from these annoying ads, people started to watch their content online on Youtube…etc. So do we leave them watch in peace? No! till 2013 YT had very few ads and their duration was too short. Youtube uses this money they make from ads to cover their costs. With the growth of online content, ads got longer, and their frequency increased! Now you no longer have 1 ad at the beginning, but you actually have more that interrupt your video. So where did things go from here? Well, just like what happened with TV channels, paid online streaming were created.
YouTube now offers a lot of premium paid services like YouTube Red and premium. Netflix and amazon(prime video) Are also some famous examples of online streaming. Again we’re in a “pay if you don’t want ads” situation.
Iteration 2:
Didn’t I mention that we’re in a loop? This previous situation happened also with music services.
Grooveshark was an example of ad-free services. Later Spotify and Deezer appeared. Again, they offer a free plan, with ads interrupting your playlist and limited functionalities. If you need a the luxury of non stop music and unlimited skips…etc You will have to get a premium plan. Even Youtube created its own music service!
This loops keeps repeating itself with computer software as well, a lot of software started as free apps, and their developers turned them later to paid services.
So, does this mean that every new technology will become a paid service? or will we still be able to enjoy something for free?