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The problem is the mental overhead, not the fee. If every single article click adds an extra mental overhead of "is this worth paying for? how much have i spent
by zaptheimpaler 6y ago
The problem is the mental overhead, not the fee. If every single article click adds an extra mental overhead of "is this worth paying for? how much have i spent this month on reading?", people will simply stop clicking. Headlines are already super optimized to get you to click. The impact of a mental tax before every click would be at least -10x a good headline and seriously puts the media company at risk of bankruptcy. A fixed fee per month is psychologically and logistically easy to manage. There may be other concerns about cost per transaction & payment networks, but they are secondary honestly.
- morgandixon 6y agoI agree that mental overhead is a large factor. The technical challenges to enable micropayments seem inconsequential to me. I’d add that the very act of deciding something’s worth could cost more than the thing itself. For example, an article might be priced at $.01, but it costs me $.50 worth of my time to decide if $.01 is a reasonable price.
- CryptoGhost 6y agoI disagree. Take Youtube as an example. A ton of mental overhead: videos padded for time, clickbait titles and thumbnails, in video promotions, reminder to check their patreon, reminder to like and subscribe, interruptions for Google ads, etc, . All this adds up and makes you question if the time waste was worth the chance at maybe getting to view some decent content. A system where you are throwing a penny at somebody to unlock a video is preferable.
- paraselene_ 6y agoNot if you use SponsorBlock. Been using it for months, it greatly improves the youtube experience.
- Jommi 6y agoAnd greatly removes the way these creators can actually pay for their lifestyle of creating. Good job!
- dkarras 6y agoWell some of us must create the evolutionary pressure for these systems so that we can converge on a system that is not a waste of time for the consumer AND profitable for the creator. It is what it is.
- 1ark 6y agoWe've seen this play out in the Apple App Store over a decade. Paid games, a dollar, were quickly left in the dust by freemium titles. Bypassing "is this worth paying for?" and replacing with "is this worth installing?" Once you are emotionally invested in a game, you pay, not before.