What Could Be Better Than Free?
Photo Credit: Vitamin English on Wordpress
An article entitled "Better than Free" by Kevin Kelly, discusses the benefits of paying for materials that are otherwise available for free. So why would anyone pay for something, be it a film, book, or piece of music, when they can in fact get it for free?
He argues that some things we place value on can't be bought, things like immediacy and authenticity, which he calls generatives. While he makes an interesting case, I for one am not convinced that the advantages presented by these generatives outweigh the costs one would have to assume.
Sure, I have heard countless people complain that the song they downloaded free and illegally was of poor quality or that they had trouble finding it; but I've heard this phrase much more often: "I can't wait too see that movie, but I'll have to because I can't afford the theater."
While Kelly makes a good point he seems to overlook the fact that many people (or is it just students?) can't just make the choice to pay for something no matter how attractive it is made to look. In these cases, it's not that people don't want to pay for things, it's that they can't afford it.
Rent, tuition, credit card debt, car loans, kids...
To them it's easier to put up with the bugs and the temporary guilt that comes from obtaining things freely and illegally. I'm convinced, that at least for some people, the choice resembles something like this: either I pirate it or I do without.
