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Isn't that the basis of the economy with the increasing wealth gap and so on? It's not really materially different to paying Disney millionaires to go watch the
by meheleventyone 5y ago
Isn't that the basis of the economy with the increasing wealth gap and so on? It's not really materially different to paying Disney millionaires to go watch the latest Marvel movie.
- swarnie 5y agoMaybe if viewed in a cynical way yes. At least when i donate to blue origin i get something tangible delivered to my door. Where is the value exchange in being one of 10k people building a faux-relationship with a hot tub streamer?
- kdmytro 5y agoMoney transfer does not necessarily mean mutually beneficial transfer of value. Another example of this is theft.
- input_sh 5y agoSame as with paying to see a Disney movie: entertainment. It's just a bit more interactive, since streamers are a bit more likely to interact with you after you give them money.
- MMS21 5y ago>since streamers are a bit more likely to interact with you after you give them money ohwee! the streamer might read out your username along with a scripted line after a 5 dollar subscription!1Eleven
- input_sh 5y agoIs there a point you're failing at making? In my mind it's no different than, say, voting for contestants on talent shows, or paying a camgirl, or pay-per-view WWE events. Same thing targeting a different demographic.
- meheleventyone 5y agoI mean it's not cynical (at least not anymore than your initial comment), it's what we're doing and why I used another entertainment option as a point of comparison. Of all the things on Twitch the value of Hot Tub streams seem very upfront and I think it's pretty telling that there are vanishingly few successful streamers doing it and that for all the hot air people spew about its a very niche part of the site.
- ohgodplsno 5y ago> At least when i donate to blue origin i get something tangible delivered to my door. Undelivered promises and lawsuits against NASA to slow down space exploration for all of us ?
- Geee 5y agoIt's a service. Service is a product that is consumed when it's produced.
- InvOfSmallC 5y agoI mean, in all honesty it's entertainment. To me Marvel is better but someone prefer hot tubs.
- A4ET8a8uTh0 5y agoI think the word you are looking for is entertainment. You may not appreciate the value of said entertainment, but then I don't really see a merit of donkey shows, Kanye or just about any other entertainment figure. That is the value. And by its very nature, it is ephemeral.
- the_duke 5y agoThe difference is that Twitch viewers are already consuming the content for free. Subscribing or donations are completely optional. ( subscriptions get rid of the adds, but I doubt that's a main driver)
- meheleventyone 5y agoI dunno if you know this but you don't have to pay for the Marvel movies either.
- eurasiantiger 5y agoB..b..but that’s… that’s piracy!
- wizzwizz4 5y agoOr just watch it on television. (You can even tape it when it's on television… sshhhhhhh.)
- SketchySeaBeast 5y agoAre you using VHS for said taping? I suddenly wonder if this is one of those anachronistic phrases, or if people no longer use it and you're revealing your age.
- eurasiantiger 5y agoImagine the people with adhesive tape in hand.
- wizzwizz4 5y agoAt least it's less anachronistic than “record”.
- ohmahjong 5y agoYou don't have to get bootleg twitch streams to watch them for free
- bluecatswim 5y ago>It's not really materially different to paying Disney millionaires to go watch the latest Marvel movie. I feel like it's substantially different, you are paying Disney the money to watch the movie, you don't really care about the actors or other people who worked on it. On the other hand, twitch users pay for the sake of paying money, it's closer to something like strip clubs.
- tsimionescu 5y agoI feel it's a much healthier model, you're paying the creator directly to create the piece you want to see, and to show it, for free, to others.
- sbarre 5y agoThat's a pretty harsh moral/value judgment on how someone chooses to spend their entertainment money. What about comedy clubs? If I buy a ticket to see Dave Chappelle, who is clearly wealthy, am I sucker too? What about paying cover at my local bar because a local band is playing that night? What about buying tickets to a baseball game, to see a bunch of millionaires play a game for a few hours? You are making it seem like users get nothing for their money, when there is plenty of established precedent for giving money in exchange for attending a performance. Sure the performance has changed, but the actual difference here is that these Twitch millionaires (and the rest who are far from millionaires) are literally charging "pay what you can" instead of setting a minimum ticket price for their show. Plenty of people (the majority in fact) get the show for free.
- bluecatswim 5y agoSorry, I didn't mean that in a derogatory way. I just meant twitch users pay for the sake of giving money to their favorite streamers rather than paying for a product. Strip clubs are the first example that came to my mind, bands or comics also stand. My point was that OP's argument about comparing twitch to movies doesn't make sense because paying for a movie is no different than paying for groceries.
- 5y ago