What would you offer as an alternative? Disney isn't replacing iTunes rentals with this ad-supported streaming, and they aren't removing the ad-free streaming either. They're offering a new choice. Your take seems to be that they just shouldn't offer the new choice - give people fewer choices instead of more. I see more choice as (often) a good thing, even if those choices don't appeal to me. They seem to be proposing a middle-ground choice.By viewing these ads, they're generating enough value for Disney to knock a few bucks off their monthly entertainment. Dance, monkeys, dance for your discount! Burn these ads into your subconscious, and buy the advertised product!
I grew up at a time when there were only 4 or 5 channels available (maybe a few more, from further away, with some static, if the weather was right), and all TV was broadcast TV and ad supported (except for PBS). You learn quickly to tune the ads out, just as one learns to filter all the other information available (and this skill is so much more vital these days, because there's so much more information available). I still remember some ad jingles from growing up. I don't feel particularly damaged by having been exposed to those ads.
FWIW, the parents are both PhDs, one being a university professor. The kids have iPads, but with strict limits on when and how they can use them (they were initially purchased only for entertainment on long trips, then they became absolutely essential for remote learning during the pandemic). Most of their (brief) daily usage is spent calling me or other relatives. I get called every day after work, and we talk about the day, or music, and we play a little Minecraft (that is, I play a little Minecraft and they tell me what to do - it's a hilarious collaboration and the parents allow it because it's mostly social interaction).I sincerely think this is great. I know it's hard to tell with me, but no sarcasm intended. I'm willing to bet that their being well off is highly correlated with these behaviors if not partially or fully caused by them, and that their children will be much better off than those who have an iPad in hand from age two.
I understand where you're coming from, but, again, the grocery store model is available for online streaming too - you can rent a movie, and you're only paying for the content you watch, with no strings attached. You can also check out DVDs (or possibly BluRays) from the public library, for no cost. It's not as convenient, but there are also no ads. A lot of what we're paying for with streaming services is convenience.It's a "hardship" as you call it because instead of just charging people based on how much they consume (a familiar concept: we go to the grocery store, and the more groceries we leave with, the more we pay), they're playing games where some users sign up for a month and watch content for 12 hours a day while others pay every month and barely use the service.
I get that you see it as an attack on the poor and uneducated. I still feel that attack is overstating things considerably. I'd see "attack" much more reasonably applied to "payday loans" and similar practices. This use feels more like complaining that the existence of Coca-Cola on store shelves is an attack on those same people. To me, "attack" in this sense implies a plan to prey upon these people. I don't see an attack, I see choices being offered, some of which aren't in your best interest."People who don't care about ads" are overwhelmingly either uneducated [...], poor [...], or both. [...] I maintain that calling this an "attack on the poor" or whatever I said is fair.
You make good points too, and I've enjoyed the exchange and found it interesting. Thanks.I probably should've done something different than replying to your wall of text with a wall of text, but you made some good points and heck, I have to say I enjoyed writing it a little bit. No hard feelings, even though we mostly disagree I made you a meme:
I see you assigned me to Arnold, and yourself to Carl Weathers - the Carl/CarlJ connection is a missed opportunity - but I appreciate the meme
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