a lot of my users run fairly large instagram pages (50k+ followers), so for them it's quite worth it I think.

Ok, that's actually quite an interesting - and remarkably specific - customer segment.

If your core customer base pulls in 4 or 5 figures a month from their own hustle, they might be willing to pay up to $15/month for features tailor-made for their needs.

If you think someone's paying customers are "debasing themselves", it probably says more about you not being the target market than a negative critique of the customers themselves.

I disagree. Many users are simply whales or people with compulsive disorders. Not everyone genuinely "enjoys" the model more so than being stuck to it.

Not saying there aren't people who truly like it. There are. But not everyone who uses it does.

> Many users are simply whales or people with compulsive disorders.

Your comment might apply to addictive games, but you are being extremely dismissive towards a creative app that isn’t designed to be a slot machine. Who are you to tell others how to spend their time or money?

The app provides a service, that some users find valuable enough to pay $5 a month to use.

It's really that simple...

Anyone's perception is $5 is affected by their economic class. Globally, there are a significant number of people who would view $5 the same way others view .50.

For me, .15 a day is negligible. I can easily imagine someone who creates memes for social media choosing to pay that, especially if they feel there is value in supporting the creator. Memes aren't frivolity any more than other content - they're one of the most popular forms of communication on the internet.

I don't know either, but I imagine it's the same reason they debase themselves by valuing the fake internet points the memes earn them.

A successful meme page with thousands of followers can generate substantial income. “Fake internet points” sometimes correlates directly with real cash.

what would you consider "real" internet points?

hacker news karma points (ducks)

Wait, what's the conversion rate of HN karma to ducks? I haven't received any ducks at this point. When should I start to expect them? I'm fond of mallards and mandarins. Do I get a choice?

A lot of big ig pages or whatever make decent money, even 'theme' pages that dont revolve around an 'influencer' personality. This would be a pretty minor business expense if its even a little bit useful.