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They were never giving away service for free. Though they weren't charging end users cash, they were collecting their data, preferences, contributions, and nume
by cratermoon 3y ago
They were never giving away service for free. Though they weren't charging end users cash, they were collecting their data, preferences, contributions, and numerous other details. They were correlating that data with other datasets to de-anonymize people. You might have never seen a single dime charged to your credit card, the costs to you were adding up over time.
- moose_man 3y agoOkay fair, but they're still doing that. It's not like consumers have gained by the change in model, they've just found a new source of blood to drain from users. We have no control over our privacy plus fees!
- scarface_74 3y agoSure you do - don’t use Twitter or Reddit. Problem solved.
- cratermoon 3y agoThat's true. It's been noted that, "The things that make TikTok or Twitter worth reading are generated by users who feel like they’re creating things."[1]. So the platforms and their defenders may try to portray users as getting something for free, the reality is that the users themselves are the ones that create the "something" that has real value. Almost anyone on HN will tell you they can effortlessly create a Twitter/reddit/IG clone, but they're wrong: They're only creating a mechanism. The real value lies in the content. 1 https://tedium.co/2023/06/21/reddit-api-free-rider-problem/ https://tedium.co/2023/06/21/reddit-api-free-rider-problem/