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How I hate pay-walled posts. What is the point if only those with a WSJ subscription can read and thus discuss said article?
I guess that's the idea. Once a particular user reaches a certain density of articles from X paywalled publication per Y unit of time, they're inclined to pay for it to avoid missing out.

As much as I'm annoyed by paywalls like anyone else, it's not like physical newspapers are providing sufficient income anymore.

Though I think the only way paywalls will be truly viable is with a bundle subscription, something like Amazon Prime for News, where you pay a certain amount per month for access to all major news sites.

Though that's likely to only work if all the outlets can agree to work together on that and also get platforms like YouTube to implement paywalls on video content from said outlets too, so that the ~$13 you spend feels worthwhile for the sheer volume of content and freedom of access you get in return.

At least that's how it was for me with Prime. At one point, the benefits accumulated to such a degree that they became worth the monthly expense.

But I doubt I would've felt it was worth it if I had to pay multiple lesser subscriptions to different providers, even if they added up to the same $13 -- it just feels too complicated.

"Though I think the only way paywalls will be truly viable is with a bundle subscription, something like Amazon Prime for News, where you pay a certain amount per month for access to all major news sites."

Exactly this. I pay for NYT and Chicago Trib online subscriptions but if an interesting article was in say, The Des Moine Register or the WSJ, I'm not going to signup for a month and then cancel my subscription simply to read it. Apple News is a fairly engaging aggregator but it appears to be heavily magazine based.

haha 'learn to use instagram loser thats how you can relate to your "friends" '

i wish i grew up in 1940

The zenith of human civilization occured at some point between Glasnost and 9/11. I was there. It was nice. I want to go back.
In the first episode of The Matrix it is said the machines recreated the 90's for the humans, because that was their happiest period. Cannot find any reference now.