Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Jordan
"Kids today" hardly grow up with "free everything," and many of the "free" things they get are only due to the fact that someone else (their parents, their school, etc) is paying for them. They understand the value of money, and the need to use it. Sure, they'll take something that's free, but they also understand that things change.
Need I remind that Americans were used to "free" TV and radio for generations... yet, in less than 1 generation, we got used to paying for both, in exchange for more and better channels and quality (not always related to the programming itself).
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But even if everything isn't free, there is enough 'free' at good enough of a quality to directly compete with non-free now. We did not have that growing up. We did have to pay to get better, but better doesn't mean anything now. Look at how many people build their social life and activity around Facebook. It is completely free (but evil as a four horned Satan). Youtube (free), Grooveshark (free), Hulu (free), the list goes on.
and on. Every single Cory Doctorow book (free), public domain novels (free), creative commons products (free). Younger generations are growing up in a world where social status and activity is their entertainment, and it costs them nothing. Value is being measured in number of friends and becoming a fan, rather that in any monetary sense. All that is left is goodwill and the leftovers of our nostalgia for physical objects. When there is nothing to hold in your hand, when all is abundant, you have to shift your value system over, that's just a given.