[justanotherguy0]

Value only requires that somebody is willing to pay for it. Any other measure of value is just moral relativism.

What purpose does The Simpsons fulfill in the physical world?

This is just a step further than what already exists. And it's already happening; nobody can stop it, no matter how many pearls you clutch.

[jakelazaroff]

> And it's already happening; nobody can stop it, no matter how many pearls you clutch.

Sure we can. It’s not an act of god. Nothing about technology is inevitable or emergent. If it happens, it will happen because people chose to make it so.

And there’s nothing binding us to that choice, even if it is “just a step further than what already exists”. We can choose something else.

[justanotherguy0]

Yup nothing binds us to that choice.

Just like nobody was forced to buy a model T. Nobody was forced to plug their phone line into their computer. Nobody was forced to get a streaming box.

This is happening because people desire it on the margin. And the network effects will make it more attractive each time somebody adopts it.

[mediocregopher]

> Value only requires that somebody is willing to pay for it.

And they will only be willing to pay if they want or need to do something with it. Wants and needs require some purpose, some intention, to drive them.

The Simpsons gives the viewer a break for a short time, during which they can recharge. Or maybe it gives them a viewpoint with which to understand the world that they find useful. Or maybe the viewer has decided that life's purpose is to watch everything on tv.

I'm not asking anyone to stop anything, I only gave my own viewpoint that my purpose comes from the physical world. I have no problem with others finding theirs elsewhere.