OT: 4 Reasons the Internet Has Made Everyone an Entitled...

jch_212b05a497jch_212b05a497 Posts: 13
edited December 1969 in The Commons

I found a very interesting article at Cracked.com. Although they're a humor site, they sometimes come up with some great articles, and this one should be read by anyone who buys and sells digital products: 4 Reasons the Internet Has Made Everyone an Entitled D***.

As usual for their articles, there might be some strong language and it may not be safe for work.

Comments

  • Dr StupidDr Stupid Posts: 313
    edited December 1969

    Spot on !

  • chrisschellchrisschell Posts: 267
    edited December 1969

    I second that "spot on" ! Sounds just about perfectly right... given what we see in the forums all the time...

  • DaWaterRatDaWaterRat Posts: 2,885
    edited December 1969

    Yeah, I'd have to call that sadly accurate. (and in some cases, guilty as charged.)

  • wsterdanwsterdan Posts: 2,344
    edited December 1969

    JHoagland said:
    I found a very interesting article at Cracked.com. Although they're a humor site, they sometimes come up with some great articles, and this one should be read by anyone who buys and sells digital products: 4 Reasons the Internet Has Made Everyone an Entitled D***.

    As usual for their articles, there might be some strong language and it may not be safe for work.

    Sadly, all too true. :-(

    -- Walt Sterdan

  • tsaristtsarist Posts: 1,614
    edited December 1969

    Well, I wouldn't go so far as calling the average person "entitled" (the most entitled people I have ever met are the rich), I have to agree with reason #1.
    .
    Too many dabblers and people not serious are pouring in and eating up the already thin profits at this end of the entertainment industry.

    I can't begin to tell you all the work I have lost because someone, somewhere is doing it for "free", no matter how shoddy their work is.

  • MorpheonMorpheon Posts: 738
    edited December 1969

    I only recently discovered Cracked.com, and I'm loving it. That, and TheChive.

  • GrazeGraze Posts: 418
    edited December 1969

    tsarist said:
    Well, I wouldn't go so far as calling the average person "entitled" (the most entitled people I have ever met are the rich)

    The most entitled people I've met are on the opposite end of the spectrum. The financially irresponsible asks for a handout. If you help them out once, instead of being grateful, they now feel it's your obligation to bail them out every time. If you turn them down the next time they're looking for a handout, they invent some reason to be mad at you, trying to make you feel guilty as if you're responsible for their predicament.

  • DaWaterRatDaWaterRat Posts: 2,885
    edited December 1969

    Mr Leong said:
    tsarist said:
    Well, I wouldn't go so far as calling the average person "entitled" (the most entitled people I have ever met are the rich)

    The most entitled people I've met are on the opposite end of the spectrum. The financially irresponsible asks for a handout. If you help them out once, instead of being grateful, they now feel it's your obligation to bail them out every time. If you turn them down the next time they're looking for a handout, they invent some reason to be mad at you, trying to make you feel guilty as if you're responsible for their predicament.

    The worst entitlement I've seen has been on the 'net, where there is no way to tell who's rich and who's using the computer at the local library.

    So let's not go there, please.

  • JabbaJabba Posts: 1,460
    edited December 1969

    O yeah... and there should be compulsory classes on this one too -

    http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person/

  • RomancefantasyRomancefantasy Posts: 0
    edited December 1969

    So let's not go there, please.

    I agree with that!

  • GrazeGraze Posts: 418
    edited January 2013

    So let's not go there, please.

    Um ..... I think you may have just gone there yourself.

    ...... there is no way to tell who's rich and who's using the computer at the local library.

    Is there a hidden meaning in regards to "who's using the computer at the local library"?

    I'm a homeowner and as such, there is an annual Real Estate tax. A significant portion of that goes to fund the local library. If I'm at the library and it is more convenient for me to look something up on a computer there than waiting until I get home, then there's no reason for me not to use the computer at the local library.

    Previously I used the term "financially irresponsible". I chose those words intentionally. Recently a co-worker told me a sob story including a need for money. Based on that person's job title and the salary range listed locally for that position, he earns well above the national median as reported in the Wall Street Journal. In fact, he makes more money than I do, and he's asking me for money. So based on my observation of this person's spending habit and a lack of savings when he needs it, I would say my assessment of financial irresponsibility is fairly accurate. Either that or I'm just too responsible with my money.

    Post edited by Graze on
  • KhoryKhory Posts: 3,854
    edited December 1969

    Actually you used the phrase "opposite end of the spectrum" to the word rich as your opener. Most people are going to assume by that your referring to the opposite of rich which is poor. All of which edges really close to our current political climate and probably should be avoided.

  • GrazeGraze Posts: 418
    edited December 1969

    Khory said:
    Most people are going to assume

    You are correct. Point taken.

  • GrazeGraze Posts: 418
    edited January 2013

    **** double post ***

    Post edited by Graze on
  • Harry DresdenHarry Dresden Posts: 376
    edited December 1969

    Mr Leong said:
    So let's not go there, please.

    Um ..... I think you may have just gone there yourself.

    ...... there is no way to tell who's rich and who's using the computer at the local library.

    Is there a hidden meaning in regards to "who's using the computer at the local library"?

    I'm a homeowner and as such, there is an annual Real Estate tax. A significant portion of that goes to fund the local library. If I'm at the library and it is more convenient for me to look something up on a computer there than waiting until I get home, then there's no reason for me not to use the computer at the local library.

    Previously I used the term "financially irresponsible". I chose those words intentionally. Recently a co-worker told me a sob story including a need for money. Based on that person's job title and the salary range listed locally for that position, he earns well above the national median as reported in the Wall Street Journal. In fact, he makes more money than I do, and he's asking me for money. So based on my observation of this person's spending habit and a lack of savings when he needs it, I would say my assessment of financial irresponsibility is fairly accurate. Either that or I'm just too responsible with my money.

    Is there a hidden revelation in your defence of public libraries? :cheese:

    That's besides the point. What Rat meant was that when you are in front of a computer you have no way of knowing for sure what the financial status of the person on the other side of the line is and can therefore not make a definite statement about rich people being more entitled than poor people or vice versa.

    Furthermore, the main article was not aimed at begging. Heck, we see that in just about every MMORPG these days so its taken for granted that where there's work to be done to obtain goods there you will find lazy ass ninjas who'd rather beg for 7 hours than go bake some pies (Runescape anyone?). Nay my good man, the article was aimed at those miscreants who are common on any site that offers some sort of product, be it paid for or free. Like our very own forums here for example. You just have to browse through all the rants and complaints to see how entitled we all are.

    Personally I am of the opinion that if you charge me for something and it's not super fantastic quality you deserve to have your head ripped off and have someone spit down your throat. But that's because money was exchanged. Money I worked hard for. Money you stole from me by giving me less than what I deserved.

    If it's free however and I get junk you can keep your head. I'll still think you're an idiot but I won't tell you so simply because being free I'll accept the fact that you might not be a professional or talented and thus won't expect too much of you. It's when free stuff ends up being better quality than paid for stuff that I'll go back to the 'professional' crowd and rant about it.

    And I guess that's what it's really about for me personally. If you charge me for it I immediately presume you're a qualified, talented professional capable of delivering the goods. Hmmm...I'm sure Freud would find that an interesting mind set.

  • IanTPIanTP Posts: 1,329
    edited December 1969

    yh, a good read, and sadly true.

  • tsaristtsarist Posts: 1,614
    edited December 1969

    Mr Leong said:
    tsarist said:
    Well, I wouldn't go so far as calling the average person "entitled" (the most entitled people I have ever met are the rich)

    The most entitled people I've met are on the opposite end of the spectrum. The financially irresponsible asks for a handout. If you help them out once, instead of being grateful, they now feel it's your obligation to bail them out every time. If you turn them down the next time they're looking for a handout, they invent some reason to be mad at you, trying to make you feel guilty as if you're responsible for their predicament.

    The worst entitlement I've seen has been on the 'net, where there is no way to tell who's rich and who's using the computer at the local library.

    So let's not go there, please.

    In all the "not going places" everyone missed the main point of my argument. Which as artists everyone should be aware of as being an important issue. Not at all a joke.

    I just got off the phone with artist dealing with the same issues.
    Sad.

  • GrazeGraze Posts: 418
    edited December 1969

    Is there a hidden revelation in your defence of public libraries? :cheese:

    Certainly. Anything that contributes to learning for kids, I support.

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,734
    edited December 1969

    Let's try with a mod voice - no political discussions please.

  • tsaristtsarist Posts: 1,614
    edited December 1969

    Let's try with a mod voice - no political discussions please.

    I really hate when my point is somehow labelled "political" when I made no such statement.
    I was responding to point #1 in the article...
    http://www.cracked.com/blog/4-reasons-internet-has-made-everyone-entitled-dick_p2/

    #1. The Audience Is More Important Than Anything
    The fundamental reason there is so much high-quality content available for free is because the Internet has thrown the balance between creators and consumers askew.
    This isn't, as you might think, because content creation is easier now. No, although the Internet and computers and little robots have made content creation a bit easier, the big difference is in distribution. Prior to the Internet, getting people to read your words, or watch your movie, or play your video game was a real hassle. You couldn't get your work on shelves unless you had a deal with the guy who owned the shelves, and shelf owners are notoriously unpleasant people to deal with.

    But now, there are millions of websites and blogs and something called vlogs and app developers and game developers, all busy churning out work and putting it on the Internet. And having enjoyed the benefits of a marketplace with no barriers to entry, they're now enjoying the side effects of a marketplace with no barriers to entry: millions of competitors.

    Which results in essentially all of these creators giving all of their content away for free. This became standard practice on the Internet back during the dot-com boom, when hundreds of brand new companies were given piles of cash by morons and had no requirement to make money immediately. Every one of them set upon basically the same business plan: grow fast by giving away everything for free and hope that profitability would follow. This business plan has since become the standard model for basically every content producer on the Internet. The audience is the first and most important thing.


    .
    My point, which was in no way political, was this particular practise is KILLING our industry.
    If you're an artist, it should matter to you.
    If not...

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,734
    edited December 1969

    The comment was addressed to the thread in general, not to a particular post.

  • chrisschellchrisschell Posts: 267
    edited January 2013

    I can't recall how many times just here in the Daz forums (never-mind on the infinite number of forums/blogs in the universe of online) how many times I've seen posts of people complaining that a freebie wasn't good enough because it had limits on it's rights of use, or that it didn't include 'X' feature, saying things like "if I can't use it commercially I won't download it...", or some other thing... rather than saying to the maker something as simple as "Ty for your hard work..."

    Or how many threads have we seen where buyer X complains that product Y didn't include the exact features/surfaces/textures etc that he/she wanted... and then demanded that either Y feature be included or demanded a refund simply because the product didn't meet his exact demands...

    I understand the need for customer satisfaction on the one hand... but theres also gotta be some reasonable limit to what the artist/provider is expected to do or provide for the price he/she is getting for that product. After-all if we tried to meet the demands of every single individual person we'd never get a single product done at all as there are an infinite number of individual tastes/requirements to meet and it would be humanly impossible to meet all the demands that the consumers (in general) place on an artist for his products... and if we could even meet every single personal desire in a product the price would be so high that no one could afford it... which again the consumers would complain about...

    The article mentioned in the first post is bang on target expressing that "entitlement" and is a sad comentary of the way online markets have gone and the demands made on providers that cannot ever be completely met....

    What-ever a provider does... no matter who's demands they meet... there will always be someone complaining that they didn't do it right... and that's just a sad fact of life... not just online but in every day life as well...

    And that's just my humble two cents from a "providers" point of view...

    Post edited by chrisschell on
  • namffuaknamffuak Posts: 4,144
    edited December 1969

    An interesting article, with one minor caveat -- it didn't start with the internet. Check out 'shareware' from the PC Bulletin Board days. Registrations usually ran to under 20% of the people who actually used the software.

  • jch_212b05a497jch_212b05a497 Posts: 13
    edited December 1969

    The main problem with the sense of entitlement (and the complaints) is that it will eventually drive content creators away. How long will vendors last if customers always complain about the lack of features that are included in the $1.99 product? Why should the vendor spend his time trying to respond to "entitlement" criticism in the forums. It's one thing to criticize an artist for a real issue, such as a broken joint or a MAT pose that doesn't work, but I don't think it's fair for people to complain that Car Model X didn't come with a yellow MAT pose, so it "sucks".

  • chrisschellchrisschell Posts: 267
    edited December 1969

    JHoagland said:
    The main problem with the sense of entitlement (and the complaints) is that it will eventually drive content creators away. How long will vendors last if customers always complain about the lack of features that are included in the $1.99 product? Why should the vendor spend his time trying to respond to "entitlement" criticism in the forums. It's one thing to criticize an artist for a real issue, such as a broken joint or a MAT pose that doesn't work, but I don't think it's fair for people to complain that Car Model X didn't come with a yellow MAT pose, so it "sucks".

    Sadly though, alot of the complaints that come are based on product x didn't have... and from watching the forums of major sites like this one it doesn't just happen here... it's a market-wide and ongoing issue that both Vendors and Customers should consider...

    Please note I do beleive in a certain level of standards in products... the issue is trying to find a reasonable limit between customer satisfaction and what a vendor is willing and able to do for the very little he/she gets after the Broker takes their cut... and that Broker cut is also part of the problem... because now you have to factor the value of your work as an Artist against Customer needs and what the Brokerage will limit your price to be and how much they'll take as their slice of the pie... which in turn drives the prices up and in turn causes the customers to complain about rising prices vs the value they get for their money... which in turn etc etc etc...

    Gotta love those spirals... lol

  • LeatherGryphonLeatherGryphon Posts: 11,503
    edited December 1969

    Mr Leong said:
    Is there a hidden revelation in your defence of public libraries? :cheese:

    Certainly. Anything that contributes to learning for kids, I support.

    I thought public libraries in small towns were thinly disguised computer game rooms with loud obnoxious tweenagers.

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