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archwaykitten t1_j1bqbm6 wrote

Reply to comment by Frosted_Picasso in Have books gotten more expensive? by syncomatic_columbia

Most media has gotten much cheaper in the last 20 years. Streaming services offer basically unlimited television and movies for a fraction of what cable used to cost. Video games go on sale almost immediately after release. Music is essentially free everywhere you look, no need to even pirate it.

Books are weird because they haven’t gotten cheaper.

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dairyqueen84 t1_j1d65y0 wrote

But you start adding up all the streaming services you need and you're probably spending as much as you did on cable.

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whisky_in_your_water t1_j1e957w wrote

Nah, you can just rotate as needed, and you couldn't realistically do that on cable/satellite. Also, you can "share" accounts (kind of unethical) and save even more, and that was unrealistic with cable/satellite (I guess you could record shows and share then, but that takes effort).

We only have Netflix and Disney right now, and we'll probably swap one out for Amazon Prime Video at some point. So we spend ~$20 on streaming services in a given month.

I also had Peacock for one month to watch the world cup and paid $5 to watch as many games as I wanted, when I wanted. Try doing that with cable/satellite...

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archwaykitten t1_j1e8a1d wrote

A single streaming streaming service (Netflix, say) provides more content (and more conveniently) than even the most comprehensive cable plans of old.

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logannowak22 t1_j1enpby wrote

Because of libraries, it is generally easier to access books for free than other media. Now with Libby, you can essentially "stream" books for free. And there are sites like Scribd that give you a large library of modern books for a subscription fee. So I think books have gotten cheaper overall, but a lot of book readers are "purists" for physical books and adding to their own personal library (which I think is especially promoted through booktube and booktok), which at this point has to be considered a luxury hobby similar to owning a vinal collection

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dissidentpen t1_j1f0mz3 wrote

Yeah but all of those digital modalities have led to a huge crisis in compensation for the people who actually make stuff.

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