Thread · 2 tweets · 22 Nov 2020

Yes and no. Pre-internet, the cost of print was very heavily subsidised by advertising. Yes, people had to pay for a copy or sub, but at prices much lower than what it would otherwise command. (IIRC @superwuster has some notes on this.)

We could have the same model on the Internet, and it might actually not be bad (especially with a three-level paywall ramp: free, micropayment, sub). Except digital advertising is not working well and the market is on the verge of collapsing.