Internet Apocalypse Ahead: Say Goodbye to Free Wi-Fi Forever Without a Solution in Sight
The Rise of the Paywall: A Reality Check
The internet’s long period of free access is drawing to a close. After nearly three decades of limitless content, it’s come to a point where making a living off advertising isn’t sustainable. It’s only logical that websites would introduce a paywall to sustain quality content creation.
A Prime Example: CNN’s Latest Move
CNN, once a bastion of free online content, is following suit. Their digital news platform will introduce a limited paywall, blocking viewers from accessing more than a few articles for free before prompting them to subscribe to their premium service, CNN+. While $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year might seem like a manageable fee, it marks the end of an era when the internet was synonymous with free content.
It Won’t Be the Only Site
CNN is far from alone in this endeavour. TechRadar rival, The Verge, is reportedly considering a paywall, and you can guarantee similar discussions are happening among other "free" websites. Good content takes money to produce, and relying solely on ads can lead to a stale, less informative experience.
A Changing Consumption Landscape
People get their news from social media now, often relying on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Who can blame them? These platforms have built trust with Gen Z. They’re engaging, dynamic, and share bite-sized information. What CNN is offering is comprehensive journalism with depth, something younger readers might not find immediately palatable.
For Long-Standing Fans
You still rely on these websites, and it’s disarming to face a paywall. Few want to leave a beloved source, so, naturally, people turn to creative workarounds to evade the fee. Herein lies the power struggle:
Workarounds (But Not Always a Moral Victory)
There’s a strategy used on paid-content platforms like The New York Times, The Atlantic, and Business Insider to snag more free articles. In Private Browsing mode or Incognito mode, multiple windows can access unique posts without being detected by cookie tracking. But what works for one story may only last for that post; it’s an uncertain digital game.
Subscriptions Have Their Place
This last-minute penny-pinching pales in comparison to subscribers who pay for access directly. I have a dual subscription to The New York Times and The New Yorker, and it feels refreshing to support content providers consciously.
**What Does "Free" Even Mean?
The internet wasn’t created to be free in its infancy. Web browsing started as a chance phenomenon: programmers built the early HTML-based browsers that gave shape to the internet as we know it today. Before long, people demanded, and advertisers eagerly offered financial support. What unfolded wasn’t a grand design – just a response to massive growth and desire. Two decades ago, it dawned on us that endless free content wasn’t possible, but now, here we are.
Farewell, Free Internet, It Was Fun
Like it or not, these changes are on the horizon. We might yearn for the wild, web-surfing freedom days, but paying for news and content could bring value where ads failed to provide value.
