this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2026
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No one likes to pay for things, but ultimately, someone has to pay for all of this. Network infrastructure, software development, and media creation don't just happen, they all require significant resources. They can be paid for in all kinds of different ways, but they will be paid for.
At present, a large amount of the cost is covered by advertising and the sale of user data. That is what drives nearly all of the enshitification we see. It keeps us from having to deal with what we're paying, but it makes our internet experiences, and our lives, worse in all kinds of ways.
If we could switch over to a system where we actually paid directly to cover the costs it would be an improvement for almost everyone. It would also reduce the overall cost by eliminating all of the middle men who take a chunk of the money in exchange for facilitating the destruction of our privacy.
There are a lot of ways we could pay directly. A lot of similar things are handled directly by various levels of government and paid for out of taxes. Having each person pay for what they use, in small amounts as they use it, would be another. OP's suggestion has its tradeoffs, but it would be an improvement over what we have now.