[jcattle]

I mean this is already (kind of) the case for video.

There's no real mainstream way outside of youtube to make meaningful money with free video content.

But yes, interesting thought which does kind of make sense. The marketplace-ification of the textual web.

[account42]

Since "making money with free content" essentially means manipulating your users into spending more money elsewhere from which you then get some indirect kickbacks, I don't think we need to lament there being fewer opportunities for that particular business model. That's not to say that video centralization doesn't have other actually bad effects.

[eithed]

With google search you don't get money for creating content as people rely on summary provided by the search.

Imagine people would go to youtube and watch previews of your videos solely; or the preview is your video, but condensed and given preferential treatment.

[jcattle]

> With google search you don't get money for creating content as people rely on summary provided by the search.

I'm aware. And I'm curious how that will play out. Because same as with Youtube, historically Google Search gave the means and the discoverability to monetize producing valuable free content.

Youtube is directly dependent on people producing free content. If Youtube wouldn't pay its creators as well as it does, it would simply die.

Same with Google Search. Good content and good SEO gives the means for websites with free content to survive. Google usually takes a cut on ad placement on those pages with AdSense.

If Google Search now doesn't pay content creators as well as it used to, what will happen to free content on the web? It's bad for Google and it's bad for the creators.

We will see.

[larodi]

how about Tiktok - seems quite meaningfully getting money to people. Of course with short-format video, but still video, right?

[jcattle]

As far as I know, Tiktok pays significantly less than Youtube. But yes, TikTok is a thing, as well as Twitch.

Still, it's all very centralized platforms, which historically isn't the case for all the monetized free content you usually get from google search (reviews, recipes, travel guides, converter sites etc. etc.)