What ought to happen is that people have more than enough money to buy things they’re likely to use, driving money into the economy for things that are useful.

What ought to happen is that people have more than enough money to buy things they’re likely to use, driving money into the economy for things that are useful. Instead, wages are terrible for the most part. Income inequality is so off the scale now that you can’t expect people to just pay for all the little things they use. Making all these free things might have the side effect of distracting people from realizing how little they can actually afford. Since no one is paying for things that are useful, instead money goes to whatever can trick the most ad viewers: sensational news, outrageous things, etc. Anything that can’t be made interesting to most people has trouble making money.