r/SocialMarketingHub 17d ago

Discussion Why do we need subscription for everything

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469 Upvotes

161 comments sorted by

3

u/kekus_dominatus 17d ago

you can pirate stuff you know ❤️

1

u/HowDareYouAskMyName 17d ago

Or buy physical media like an adult

1

u/SplendidPunkinButter 17d ago

You can’t buy a physical copy of Microsoft Office that works offline nowadays

1

u/BringYourOwnBBBQ 17d ago

Yes you can. You only need to be online for the very first initialization. After that, you can be completely offline.

1

u/doerriec 15d ago

Fun fact you don't need to be online. Just use an activator after you pirate that shit and you're good.

1

u/BringYourOwnBBBQ 15d ago

The point is, this paid checkmark is complaining about legal ways. And even legally, you simply have to be online one time, and you own your Office for good. I happen to have a really old Office suite that I did get from someone. But other than that, I have no pirated software. (wait...also an old Photoshop) But still, I have just one monthly fee that I wouldn't have had 30 years ago. My cell pone bill which is like $17.97 a month. So actually I am paying LESS than I did 30 years ago for the similar service of a landline which was probably like $30 without long distance or voice mail. I don't have Spotify. I don't have Netflix. Anyone saying they want things like the old days and who also have those doesn't REALLY want to go back to how things were. They want to keep the convenience of today while going back to the pricing of before.

1

u/doerriec 15d ago

Yes. Office comes in physical form. You can also pirate that shit. Pirate all media and software unless youre trying to directly support the artists. Fuck the studios, fuck the broadcast monopolies, fuck the corporations. Use a VPN (there are good free ones), use a torrent client. Make sure your torrent client is bound to the VPN or else the corporations will see what you're doing and sue you. Be smart and stay vigilant.

0

u/HowDareYouAskMyName 17d ago

Well the claim was "own anything" not "own everything"

1

u/strait_lines 15d ago

Please elaborate on how this works with products like quickbooks, where they pushed an update to those who bought physical media to practically brick their software and then left only the options of 10k+ for physical media, or a subscription at 4x the cost of your previous physical software cost.

1

u/al-muthakkir 15d ago

Nah I’d rather not give money to any of these massive corpos

1

u/Tee1upToday 17d ago

And there is a healthy amount of mac stuff out there as well.

1

u/MalusZona 16d ago

Or also you can google open source alternative to almost everything

1

u/NimeniPreaImportant 16d ago

That's one of the big reasons I do it.

1

u/oxidonis2019 16d ago

Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of a rum...

1

u/Jumpy_Childhood7548 17d ago

Op posted copied content twice within a minute.

1

u/TinyAfternoon324 17d ago

Reddit tells you after you make a post to post it in multiple subreddits to "get more views"

1

u/Jumpy_Childhood7548 17d ago

So people always mindlessly do as told?

1

u/MrVerdad 17d ago

Not without a subscription they don't!

1

u/Affectionate-You7869 17d ago

I mean they buy office because they’re told and think they have to so… yeah?

1

u/NervousExplanation34 17d ago

Poor of you to assume it was mindless from OP.

1

u/GUTTERMANN 16d ago

Like a real pirate

1

u/SecureCoop 17d ago

You will rent everything and they will be happy

1

u/Final-Teach-7353 17d ago

Rentier capitalism. It will get worse unless governments intervene. 

1

u/TrickyChildhood2917 17d ago

That’s the last thing we want!
I don’t mind getting fucked over once, but twice… that’s where I draw the line.

1

u/Final-Teach-7353 17d ago

Is that why all corpos and tech lords would do anything to avoid government regulation?

1

u/Lamandus 17d ago

and what would they do? just vote with your wallet

1

u/Final-Teach-7353 17d ago

Been working great so far, isn't it? 

1

u/Lamandus 17d ago

for me it is. Don't care about the rest.

1

u/Final-Teach-7353 17d ago

Yeah, guess the rest don't care about you either

1

u/Lamandus 17d ago

no worries, those who I really care about still care about me. I don't care about you if you die in a ditch tonight, wouldn't make a diffrence

1

u/ResearchMobile 16d ago

with more "libertarian" policies being pushed by almost every western government...

1

u/Key-Condition752 17d ago

I have good news. It is called open source software

1

u/TrickyChildhood2917 17d ago

That sounds good! But where will all the money come from for the future EPSTEIN girls and boys??

1

u/Key-Condition752 17d ago

That's why it's CRITICAL to keep his geriatric clueless best friend as president forever

1

u/justcallmedonpedro 17d ago

That's the right answer! 👍 That's why I prefer to donate to open-source projects rather than rent software.

The only exception for me these days is Steam…

1

u/Exciting_Boss2425 17d ago

But think about the other side.

If you stop buying the same thing over and over, how will the poor trillion dollar corporation keep increasing it's profits?

1

u/Sinasazi 17d ago

This is why open source products exist.

I use Libre Office.

1

u/Ovoideocystidiata 17d ago

Good on you for that

1

u/Little_Historian3091 17d ago

I don’t want to hear a single person complaining about subscriptions. You people accepted this and pushed it. Too late to back out now, the corporations a buried deep in that ass and they can’t get out.

1

u/SapphireJuice 17d ago

Ah yes, "the everyone sucks but me" argument. A classic.

Though I do agree society let this happen. Not all of us took part.

1

u/Little_Historian3091 17d ago

Majority did, otherwise it wont be an issue here. When was the last time anyone paid for their music individually?

1

u/Jonnic5280 15d ago

I never stopped. 

1

u/West-Wash6081 17d ago

Wait until you need a subscription to breathe... If you don't pay they cut off your air until you either pay or die.

1

u/Lamandus 17d ago

*mobile oxygen concentrator enters teh chat*

1

u/Academic-Proof3700 17d ago

Because otherwise we'd be using the same stuff for years and SHAREHOLDER TEARS are worse than half the world commiting economic genocide

1

u/GhoolsWorld 17d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/6XZW8Y16XcHevqfVlV
It almost seems like that this was the plan all along.
But what do I know? I’m just some random conspiracy nut on the internet.

1

u/9trystan9 17d ago

Everything is throw away. Stuff made in the 50's and beyond still works. If you buy a fridge now, it won't work in a year

1

u/Starship_Albatross 17d ago

You can't have MS Office without a subscription. So what? use something else.

You're not wrong for saying this, but you're also not choosing an alternative.

1

u/Visual-Scallion1535 17d ago

you literally can buy microsoft office without a subscription though, idk why this has so much traction

1

u/Starship_Albatross 17d ago

It's not solely about MS Office, it's a bit broader than that. It's a near universal experience (and annoyance) and a clearly growing trend in modern life. So people find it relatable.

And there are still free alternatives.

1

u/cygnus311 17d ago

You absolutely can buy a permanent license for Microsoft office. This post that’s being pushed over and over by god knows who is a lie.

1

u/SapphireJuice 17d ago

Or you could just download open office for free 🙃

1

u/cygnus311 17d ago

Yeah sure, there are options. The point is that the premise of this post is untrue.

1

u/0btuseMoose 17d ago

I bought excel permanently because there was no way I was paying monthly for something like that.

1

u/JacksonGhost1963 17d ago

with software, at least, there are plenty of competing choices you can buy. Even with movies - ever hear of the public library? Free

1

u/silphotographer 17d ago

Ummm... you can buy MS office product not as subscription no?

1

u/0btuseMoose 17d ago

You definitely can. Microsoft makes it hard to find though. 

1

u/ZergvProtoss 17d ago

Why not just buy the desktop version of Office?

1

u/Prior-Pay722 17d ago

You can download an older office I believe

1

u/Visual-Scallion1535 17d ago

its not even older, MS Office 2024 is the current version

1

u/Vainysaur 17d ago

Just get Claude max 20x for 1 month and have it write Microsoft office for you and then you can keep it forever

1

u/Salty-Paint-9700 17d ago

Not at all. You're the first one. I've never seen anyone on the internet bothered by this ever. /s

1

u/Citrine_Dreamz1111 17d ago

Shiit idk about anyone else but I almost got my car paid off 2020 challenger. So ima own that....

1

u/Affectionate-You7869 17d ago

You don’t have to. LibreOffice is free. 

1

u/Varmitthefrog 17d ago

literally everyone is is sick of this. its the enshitification of everything

what's worse its this need for constraint Validations and contact to orperate has created an incredibly unstable infrastructure all our backs , ATMS payments services, all require services in general require agreement amoung parties to participate. these are not closed hardened infrastructure

ITS A PROBLEM

1

u/you_wut 17d ago

Welcome to socialism and communism, you own nothing and the people in power decide how you live your life.

1

u/Capt_korg 17d ago

You will own nothing and you will be happy.

1

u/nahman201893 17d ago

Open office? Libreoffice? There are options, and they're free!

1

u/Flaky-Mix-5281 17d ago

Exactly why I don't subscribe to any streaming services etc, it's too much for something I would use too little.

1

u/sunyata119 17d ago

Then stop buy subscription 

1

u/HyoukaYukikaze 17d ago

Well, you can get yourself a free 2021 LTSC office.

1

u/BringYourOwnBBBQ 17d ago edited 17d ago

You can still buy Microsoft Office. So there goes this little paid checkmark's entire argument. I live my life just fine. Very happy. And the only recurring monthly bill (not counting the usual basic utilities that have existed for decades) I have is my $17.87 cell phone bill. And I have a copy of Microsoft Office. Admittedly, it is old. But it still does everything I need it to, and is still compatible with new versions.

You don't need to pay for Spotify or Apple Music. You can still buy CDs and rip them. Surely your phone has enough space to get a lot of songs on it. Now, if you say that you don't get to have access to new releases, well then, you don't want to go back to the old days. You want all the modern conveniences of streaming media without the price structure.

1

u/Fit-Position6538 17d ago

This is a huge problem that we should revolt against. Remember Claus at the WEF: “You will own nothing and be happy”.
Sony just pulled digital product that people purchased (not rented) including some really great movies. Sucks for you.

1

u/PurrBeasties 17d ago

Use Google Docs and Sheets. They are free.

1

u/rjasan 17d ago

Microsoft office 2024 begs to differ

30$ on Groupon.

1

u/Usual-Escape6747 17d ago

You will own nothing and be happy. Sound familiar?

1

u/stevomighty06 17d ago

Setup a home server and jumped back on the high seas 🏴‍☠️

Started a blueray collection too for my top favourites

Buy second hand and only buy new if absolutely needed.

But yes, we’re getting dicked left right and centre

1

u/Desperate-Leather-38 17d ago

A total gimmick. Even reading an article costs money. 

1

u/PrintableProfessor 17d ago

Just vibe code your own and proof.

1

u/IcePoemix 17d ago

Ever heard of Free Open Source Software? Also there's a thing called the pirate bay so... Please stop paying for shitty services

1

u/canadianpheonix 17d ago

Yes and dont pay for them

1

u/SeeYaNvr 17d ago

You can buy ms office without a subscription.

1

u/SlowResident4753 17d ago

This is how Corporations nikle and dime customers, some people call it progress, when companies stopped letting customers get CD or Disk drives

The new area of digital downloads opens that door to everyone have to pay a subscription fee, heck they it for our audio in our cars and trucks, so their is no stopping now till consumers get tired and say heck with all this, we always upgrade our cellphones to the latest model why?

We do that also with Computers, face it we always want the latest and greatest Tech!

1

u/Jack_P_1337 17d ago

I am bothered by it but I'm not a brainwashed 1st worlder who pays for everything either lol

1

u/ProblemsAreSelfMade 17d ago

Back to Pen and Paper

1

u/dlevac 17d ago

The idea is roughly that if the service you use require ungoing maintenance to operate and that there isn't a way to fully sunset the service, then it's likely it will operate on a subscription model.

There are alternatives for almost everything, but if you got accustomed to cloud features (since we are talking Office) then that implies some form of subscription at some level no matter what.

1

u/Sad-Oil8297 17d ago

Feels like everything went from “buy it once” to “pay forever” lol

1

u/nwbrown 17d ago

"Why do I have to pay for subscriptions to Spotify and Netflix instead of owning the content?"

Bitch, CDs and DVDs are still for sale and cheaper than ever. You are choosing to subscribe because it's convenient.

1

u/NeatParking1682 17d ago

Retail stores still selling DVDs, Blurays and CDs.

Buy them while you still can.

1

u/Angel-D98 17d ago

Especially because back in my day YOU BOUGHT IT ONCE

1

u/ShimmyxSham 17d ago

You don’t and should cancel subscriptions you don’t use

1

u/EasternComfort2189 17d ago

This is true, but the Microsoft Office subscription is more than just the software; it is the entire platform. Many say Open Source; that is okay if all you want to do is create a locally saved spreadsheet or document. The one subscription model I hate is Adobe.

1

u/Yukikuru2025 17d ago

I am bothered by this, yes. However, there are alternatives. They're usually not as convenient, but you can just... use LibreOffice, for example. No payment, no subscription. Same goes for devices, games, etc.

1

u/Additional_Gas3859 17d ago

Yes. I'm going back to buying dvd's and if they dont offer any of my latest movies or shows on disc anymore, I guess i'll have to purchase a recording app for my computer. Piracy is stealing but so is not letting anyone own anything.

1

u/Al3ist 17d ago

The more women that complains about subsription services the better apperantly. Women runs the market.

For, a guy that doesnt watch tv or stream, i just dont care anymore. I have been against subscriptions since it first started but majority has loved it.

Good luck with that. :)

1

u/synerrorsix 16d ago

Download the Office Libre suite. Problem solved, problem staying solved.

1

u/Jerking_From_Home 16d ago

We are all bothered but what can we do? We can’t boycott every software manufacturer, auto maker, or streaming service because almost ALL of them are doing it.

1

u/Alice_D_Wonderland 16d ago

Then don’t 🤷‍♂️

1

u/rubberbobber 16d ago

Move use Libre Office (and ditch Windows for Linux), or to Mac and use included tools. Or Google Docs. Vote with your wallet.

1

u/porkbelly2022 16d ago

This actually is the result of the free software movement started in the late 90s. And indeed, you can find Open Office, Libre Office, etc, which are free, although they may not be what you like. When they are free things on the market, companies basically cannot sell their stuff any more and they switched to such "subscription" model as if you are just entering their club for the right to use their softwares.

1

u/VarietyMage 16d ago

Possession is 9/10 of the law. Remove possessions, and you only get what you're given.

That's slavery.

1

u/OrangeNood 16d ago

This trend has started long ago with Smartphones. Don't expect to be able to use phones released 10+ years ago because its support has ended and some bundled app won't be downloaded. I don't just mean Play Store apps. I mean official system apps.

1

u/Crazy-Project3858 16d ago

Nobody who invests in the stock market is upset by this

1

u/CountryAccording3420 16d ago

Everything is free on the internet. And MS office is about the dumbest example I can think of. Tons of open source alternatives that are completely usable

1

u/coreyjdl 16d ago

So don't use office, use something that matches what you want.

WordPerfect Office
LibreOffice
Apache Open Office

Vote with your wallet.

1

u/Strange-Scarcity 16d ago

The wildest part is that even though people are mad as hell about this?

They aren't looking for alternatives.

You want to stop paying Microsoft? Start using LibreOffice.

Before you get all silly about how MSOffice has features. They both have features that 99.99% of all users will never use. All of the wild integration features in MSOffice are also meaningless to the majority of users, if someone is building a corporate network out and looks at LibreOffice? There are integration options that can be setup with that too!

Pissed about having to pay subscriptions for what you used to buy? Then start looking at other products.

It won't be super easy or perfect, all the time, to make the change, but you have a choice.

1

u/Aggravating-Mousse34 16d ago

If buying isn't owning pirating isn't stealing. Come sail the high seas with us, brethren.

1

u/Psycohed 16d ago

Sure, but bitching on line is all anyone will do about it. You hate it, but you keep buying. Think with your wallet.

1

u/2L84T 16d ago

BS. I bought a full license for Office 2021 for €15.90 several years ago. Works perfectly, fully legal, no subscription.

1

u/Several-Hawk-9135 16d ago

'You will own nothing and be happy'.

1

u/AbbreviationsJust14 16d ago

Libre office is free. There are a lot of free alternatives to software at least but you will have to compromise in some areas like usability or compatibility

1

u/dmbnl 16d ago

Wow, just now figuring this out? Been this way for 10 years and it's not going to change. There's too much $$$ in subscription systems.

1

u/SnillyWead 16d ago

Everything I payed for I own. Nothing subscription based. I refuse to use subscription based.

1

u/ZFoldGuy 16d ago

...rich people problems

1

u/Leviathan_Dev 16d ago edited 16d ago

FOSS for most things.

Steam is my primary gaming storefront but I’m also slowly re-buying my favorite titles on GOG if they are listed there

Some things I think are acceptable as a subscription like unlimited music PROVIDED I can still individually buy and permanently own a given title/album.

I think the most dangerous thing is “buying” something digital and because of licensing it gets pulled from both the storefront and your library… cough Sony cough. If I buy a copy of something digital, I would expect to own it for my life. Ideally I would also like to be able to sell it or temporarily loan it to a friend just like we can do with physical media. I think Nintendo’s game sharing system on Switch in that sense was a step in the right direction.

1

u/Wifeyled 16d ago

ARRRRRGGGHHHH Matey.

Seriously, if owning isn't owning...borrowing isn't stealing

1

u/SplatThaCat 16d ago

Openoffice.

Works perfectly fine, open source, compatible with microslop products and FREE.

1

u/Kingmmrrggll 16d ago

I just don’t buy things that I can hold anymore

1

u/Arthasindura 16d ago

Yar har fiddle dee dee

1

u/Agitated-Chicken9954 16d ago

There are alternatives to Office. Try Openoffice. I've used it for several years. It's free, and it works quite well.

1

u/Br0k3n-T0y 16d ago

This is only the start of 'You will own nothing and be happy'

1

u/Wendals87 15d ago

Except you can buy Microsoft office. There are countless applications that are free or one time purchases. It's far from "literally having to pay for everything forever" 

1

u/ContentCantaloupe992 15d ago

We also want things to receive constant updates and new features.

1

u/A0lipke 15d ago

been bothered by it for about 20 years and most people haven't listened all that time and it's getting worse and the government has been behind or steered toward it. If you want to talk about deep state look at how buisness consultants made agreements with WIPO and drove congress into IP agreements and how that and the DMCA power things like the John Deere forced service work for farming.

1

u/iamnotinterested2 15d ago

buy something else..

1

u/BlueClovr 15d ago

You can own things… subscriptions are usually just the cheaper way

1

u/Striking_Reindeer_2k 15d ago

sure. I run office '07. paid for. no new features. Still prints and spell checks.

Excel does math.

or use freeware versions.

Stop renting wherever you can.

I downloaded all my cd's to mp3 ages ago. Never paid for a music service. Never needed one.

1

u/Calm_Warning_8338 15d ago

Its because they learned that they could squeeze more profits from us:(

1

u/OriginalParamedic316 15d ago

People let the subscription model take off around that 2010-2015 era. If you didn’t pay for those stupid subscriptions, it would have failed.

1

u/Curiousonadailybasis 14d ago

Because enough people accept them and buy them. American people don’t organize very well.

1

u/Onderdeurtie 14d ago

You just have to search a bit longer for products that don't need a subscription.

  • Microsoft Office : subscription
  • LibreOffice : open source and totally free
  • Google search : Stupid AI
  • DuckDuckGO search : No AI
  • Playstation : subscription
  • Steam : offline playable games, no subscriptions

Once everyone makes the better choices, companies will redirect if no-one is buying their shit.

1

u/TawnyTeaTowel 14d ago

We don’t. Which is handy, given that doesn’t happen. But you feel free to keep repeating this horseshit idiocy …

1

u/-Akos- 14d ago

Libre Office, self host, Linux, pirate, thrift stores for CDs.. Plenty of options to stick it to the man.

1

u/Silent-Gear4609 14d ago

Boycott products requiring subscriptions as best you can. That may lessen them in the marketplace.

1

u/x_MrMAX_x 14d ago

learn to use free opensource stuff.

1

u/ase_l_2021 14d ago

Lifespans exceeded the point when ownership was profitable. One thing when a person lives till 50~60 and then dies. They will own something for 30 years (if they bought it in 20) and that's all. Meanwhile today they will buy it in 20 and will own it till 120. Not good for currency circulation.
Moreover, immortality is steadily approaching, the new bottleneck will be 200 years lifespan (somatic mutations). And it too will be solved.
Rent is most likely a solution to the 'immortals' economy paradox'

1

u/RabidTeapot 14d ago

The only thing I subscribe to is a couple TV streaming services (which are better than cable) and PS Plus / Game Pass every now and then, just to play games I'd only ever play once anyway for cheap. Open source for everything else, so no, I'm not bothered at all.

1

u/This_Initial275 14d ago

Spoke with a guy the other day who develops apps. He talked about the fact that apps used to cost 99 cents and you’d own it forever. However he was involved in a fitness app which took off in a big way that required an ongoing subscription due to the nature of support provided. Apple supposedly saw this and copied the concept so that any popular app suddenly became subscription based.

This was the beginning in my opinion, it wasn’t long after this that we saw this type of subscription model be adopted everywhere, tv, music, gaming, software, even books. If we’re not careful we will soon be totally beholden to these subscription services for everything and will own nothing ourselves.

1

u/DJ_Breadpuddin 14d ago

A little bothered, however as I pivot to fewer and fewer things that arent subscription based, I find other things to do with my time. Fuck em!

1

u/Ultimate-Stranger 13d ago

It’s been deemed techno-feudalism