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> Apple is going to kick Meta's ass in the long run just by virtue of their privacy stance I think you're discounting (ha) the allure of free/cheap to people w
by ethbr0 4y ago
> Apple is going to kick Meta's ass in the long run just by virtue of their privacy stance
I think you're discounting (ha) the allure of free/cheap to people who don't have disposable income. Which is to say, most people.
- rl3 4y agoYou're probably right, though I don't think it all comes down to disposable income. Laziness, apathy and network effects are perhaps equally powerful forces. After all, I continue to use Google and Instagram despite my knowing how the sausage is made there.
- FredPret 4y agoBut there is zero money to be made out of people who have zero money.
- kwizzt 4y agoI would argue there is money to be made out of people with zero money. Student loans are an example. Instead of zero money, they now have negative money. This is terrible ofc.
- germinalphrase 4y agoZero money now - but one must be ready to skim the cream off their raw human potential.
- rl3 4y ago>But there is zero money to be made out of people who have zero money. That's not true. That's why credit exists. Selling poor people shit they can't afford with terrible terms is a long-standing American tradition. When a debtor is unable to pay (often times through no fault of their own), the creditor eats the cost because their margins are good enough to allow for it. That effectively represents a wealth transfer between corporations providing the services and the corporations providing the credit.
- echelon 4y agoThe creditor doesn't put a lien on the debtor's house, repossess their goods, or take them to court? Obviously this happens with mortgages, cars, and other extremely high value things. IRS debts, student loan debts... But what about credit cards? Don't they have mechanisms other than tanking your credit report? And if not, why don't poor indebted people simply default all the time to remove debt?
- rl3 4y agoSure, but you also can't squeeze blood from a stone. That said, I was mostly talking credit cards, since that's what most tech services would fall under in a zero-money consumer situation. >And if not, why don't poor indebted people simply default all the time to remove debt? Some do, but having your credit ruined for seven years sucks for most people. Likewise the courts don't exactly smile upon those who run up huge debts with the intention of defaulting.
- bee_rider 4y agoIt'll be interesting to see where this goes. If VR becomes a big thing and we get to the point where an appreciable chunk of social interactions start to take place over it (huge if), the device would at least be as significant as your phone. People in the US are willing to spend extra on the Apple phone. There's already drama over the stupid blue text/green text thing, imagine a world where you know that your social interactions with a Facebook user are snooped on. I think it could lead to some significant ostracization. Private party -- no Facebookers.
- germinalphrase 4y agoReality shaping, not snooping, will be the primary concern.
- bee_rider 4y agoWhat's reality shaping and why will it be a concern?
- germinalphrase 4y agoThere’s a Philip K Dick line that goes - “reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away”. Reality shaping is like that - but coercive and in reverse. How much do I need to nudge your perceptual world with ubiquitous, desirable lizard-brain augmentations before you stop believing in reality?
- bee_rider 4y agoI mean, we already have religion, advertising, and "influencers" so I guess this is a current problem. With VR, at least it will be obvious when headset is on.
- germinalphrase 4y agoA problem as old as humankind. Ideally, one would attempt to tie the user’s livelihood to the platform to keep them engaged.
- cyanydeez 4y agoYou refer to poor people. "You're forgetting the poor people"