> what would you do to provide yourself a salary? the fundamental answer is that you cannot, because this site does not produce sufficient value for the cost t

> what would you do to provide yourself a salary? the fundamental answer is that you cannot, because this site does not produce sufficient value for the cost to provide that salary (without resorting to ads i meant). And in fact, the majority of sites are of this nature. The value provided simply does not support the continued cost of maintenance and operations. > have our lifestyles become unsustainable? i would argue yes. People have come to expect their cost to get rounded down (to zero), because the value they derived from the site is also rounded down to zero (in their minds). It's also a fact that it is impossible for a real, cost effective microtransctions platform to exist on the net, unless it's a full walled garden (and this directly contradicts the open web). Both of these facts means the inevitable destiny of external monetization (such as ads, or "enshitification" to force subscription), or exiting/selling out to someone else who would. It's a miracle so many sites, and products, have held out due to sheer obstinance of their creator to push thru. It's altruistic, but like fighting the tide, eventually they get worn down.