this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2026
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Technology

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Why Owning Nothing Is So Expensive (youtu.be)
submitted 5 days ago by chasteinsect@programming.dev to c/technology@beehaw.org
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Video description : Subscription services exist for nearly everything consumers buy. Many, like Netflix or Spotify, start out affordable, but the cost adds up over time. And while signing up is effortless, cancelling can be difficult. Companies such as Adobe and Amazon have even been accused by the Federal Trade Commission of using dark patterns to trap consumers in subscriptions.

But rising costs are only part of the problem. The subscription model is eroding consumer’s opportunity to own what they buy. So how did we get to the point where practically everything is a subscription? And why is owning nothing making everything so expensive?

00:00 - Intro 01:58 - Why subscriptions are everywhere 06:26 - Companies love subscriptions 09:13 - Subscriptions are sneaky 10:29 - Cancelling is difficult 13:39 - Own nothing economy 16:52 - Consumers fight back 22:56 - The future of subscriptions 24:24 - Credits

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[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 days ago

Can conserve power structures that give someone else the right to our surplus. 😅