Who are People? I’m fine with zero-price but I would also do okay with something-price, because I managed to live just fine before all of these “you are the product” (as technologists constantly gloat) services. What would happen if we reached something-price? I think, in my case, I would just stop using a lot of the services, because (1) I won’t have the budget to pay for for all of them as subscription services, and (2) see the aforementioned point about living just fine without them before.

Because here’s the rub: it’s not like people are addicted or have to have these services—it’s more like they are addicted or have to be a part of the network effect of these services. (Oh I don’t know about that guy, Tony, he ain’t got a FB profile...) And once these services become something-price they just won’t be viable any more, because they are not really essential and paying for 8+ services (or whatever?) is not feasible.

But realistically services like FB are just stuck with their current business model; they will not pivot to something else because they know they would be screwed. But they, of course, twist that into some kind of consumer+small business sympathy spiel.

It’s true that the hurdle from 0 to 1 cent is much larger than 1 cent to 1 dollar - but Even though it is well known, to the point of being axiomatic for sellers, that it is not how it is perceived by buyers which often pretend it is a linear scale.

Who are these ads directed at? It’s not the general public. But is it small business owners? Politicians? Regulators? I don’t have a good answer.

I think it's telling that when Facebook wants to reach people in power, it takes out ads in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. When it wants to reach nobodies, it uses Facebook.

It is the general public.

They have way better reach to the general public through Facebook - why NYT and WSJ?