[arresin]

When the internet started it was weird to pay for something ephemeral like certain bits being delivered to you. But totally normal to pay for magazines. I think that early mindset just continued and became the new default. Electronic media just feels weird to pay for for people.

[dewey]

> Electronic media just feels weird to pay for for people.

Most people in the target audience of Perplexity probably pay for at least two streaming services (Spotify, Netflix etc.), so I don't think it's about "eletronic media" but more that search seems like a simple thing from the outside that always has been free and has a very strong player that offers a pretty good service for most people.

[dizhn]

By the end magazines were mostly ads and almost free to subscribe to.