The concept of paying for things online is what still sounds silly, despite the dominance of Netflix and Spotify. Can you imagine paying $.50 per Google search? How about a monthly fee to Facebook or Twitter? Reddit (pay by the subreddit)? HN?
What still sounds silly, and has always sounded silly, is micropayments.
But between its user base and Gold, Reddit is well situated to evolve the Internet just a bit further, and implement micropayments. Charge users an optional $5/month, and for users that do pay, take their upvotes and give money to recipients of upvotes from those users.
They could also pay subreddit moderators, and of course Reddit itself from that, plus Stripe Connect makes the backend payments platform stuff easy.
Re:Why Silicon Valley can’t fix itself
by BoiledCabbage on Friday May 04, 2018 @10:46AM
(#16994942)
The advertising model is a disaster buy no-one has yet figured out how to replace it. Interests are very entrenched.
Re:Why Silicon Valley can’t fix itself
by jonhendry18 on Friday May 04, 2018 @03:16AM
(#16992772)
Pharma advertising is something which has probably had significant negative effects, at least on American society.
I think we're being blindsided by just how bad the side effects of the advertising model are for media. In general, not just for the internet. It's done unbelievable damage to our culture, but it's slow and indirect and difficult to predict or quantify. Like asbestos, tetraethyl lead, carbon dioxide, etc. Those are the technologies you have to watch out for.
today we essentially define our culture and personal identities with advertising demographics and terminology. We've commoditized ourselves so thoroughly that any alternative is unimaginable and sounds silly to us.