As Amazon becomes the latest platform to push an ad-supported tier, TV writers greet this retro model with frustration and, in some cases, disdain: “I thought 'Nine Perfect Strangers' with commercials was horrible,” says David E. Kelley of his Hulu show with breaks.
That the market actually responds to consumer desires.
Unfortunately with the excessively oversized conglomerates that do vertical integration in an ever increasing number of industries, there is only the illusion of choice left for consumers. Not using any type of media (books, movies, etc.) is not actually a solution or a choice. So consumers are left with no choice but what is offered, and the offering is not dictated by their desires but by the companies who will screw you over to increase already obscene profits. The “vote with your wallet” argument you use leaves you with “pile of crap A” and “pile of crap B” to choose from, with no alternatives. Your solution is social disconnect from everything and everyone, that is not actually a solution or a real viable choice.
My guy, I’m talking about not paying for Netflix. Social disconnect? You’re so dramatic. I haven’t had Netflix in years.
You’re cutting one…but now they’re all doing the shit that made you quit Netflix, and you have no (legal) way of getting access to pop culture without endorsing the shitty behaviour that doesn’t listen to consumer desires. That is why “voting with your wallet” doesn’t work, because there is no alternative to vote for with your wallet. So unless you keep endorsing the shitty corporate behaviour, you’re pulling the plug on basically everything, and that is definitely a disconnection from many social interactions since you’ll have no clue what they’re talking about.
You don’t have to watch the latest, hippest new show of streaming services so participate in society. I can’t believe I’m even having this conversation, truthfully I’m baffled that I need to repudiate this.
But despite my sanity, I will engage with it… You know people still have dvd players, right? And libraries still exist? To be clear, I’m just trying to rebuke the absurd claim that you have “no way of getting access to poop culture” without streaming services.
How do you think people and libraries obtain their material? They dont get it for free, they buy it. So that still puts money in the hands of companies you’re trying not to give money. Every time you borrow something from the library, they pay a little to the copyright owner of that material. So you’re still supporting anti-consumer companies with your wallet by doing it like that. Like I said, voting with your wallet only works when there are alternatives, and we pretty much have none left.