Yeah, people create stuff online without getting paid all the time. We literally built the Internet that way. Go back to the early days forums, blogs, dumb memes, personal websites, fan videos none of that was about money. People made stuff just to share it, to be part of something, or just because they wanted to.

It’s only after financial incentives got introduced ads, sponsorships, “influencer” money that everything started getting worse. Suddenly it’s all algorithm-chasing. Everyone’s copying each other, following trends, tweaking thumbnails, timing posts. The content got way more polished, surebut also way more boring. It's all the same stuff over and over.

So yeah, people deserve to get paid if that’s what they want. But pretending like people only create if they’re paid is just wrong. Humans naturally create. Always have. We write songs, we draw, we tell jokes. Money didn’t start that, it ruined it. It made it a job. It made it about likes and reach and SEO. It turned the internet into a shopping mall.

Now everything online feels fake. Safe. Recycled. All because the moment you attach money to something, people start optimizing for profit instead of originality. That’s the trade-off.

Why not? Because I don’t care about ads in a service that’s just thrown in as a bonus to a service I already pay for and would still pay for even if they got rid of it?

What’s that got to do with freedom?

I noticed paramount+ was included in a subscription service my wife has. I setup an account, loaded the app found a show to watch. Made it threw 3 episodes decided to pirate the show instead because the commercials were to annoying.

I cancelled the moment they put ads in the plan I had been paying for. Don’t miss it for a second. Not even prime shipping.

Good thing I cancelled prime along with all my subscriptions and accounts with US companies just after Trump was elected.

I just today canceled Prime and their 27% credit card. I cant wait to hate on spaceballs 2.

Kodi on a Google chromecast with a real-debid account. A liile complicated for non technical to configure but so smooth once setup. https://github.com/umbrellaplug/umbrellaplug.github.io

You guys get ads on Prime?

Get the pirate hats ready, we are sailing the high seas
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I just use Stremio on everything now with the usual plugins and a debrid service sub. I could do it old school on mobile, but navigating Android is baseline a tedious slog even while knowing what I'm doing.

No, a good adblocker takes care of that.

I think we just don't get them in the EU.
With or without adblocker

Nope.
Yaar, I've not had any streaming services for a good few years now. Shiver me timbers, matey!!

You guys got Prime?

I think it simply promotes other prime video content instead of product advertisement.

I've torrented on my Android phone and watched Christopher Nolan movies on it.

(Heresy I know, but it's called poverty)

To be fair, when I first got access to the internet as a kid, I also didn't know.

It look me like a couple years of being tired of shitty ad-ridden streaming sites and digging through the internet before I even heard of The Pirate Bay and Torrents (Thanks to r/piracy btw )