It's a bit of a cynical take, but maybe it'll help cut useless apps and help people focus on what matters a bit more. A good thing about paying for something with money is that it makes you conscious of what you're doing. When you're paying with your data, it's harder.
Agreed. And I have to wonder if online extremism would be less of a problem if sites like Facebook switched to a payment model. State-sponsored troll farms might be willing to pay for access, but most regular-Joe crazies/griefers probably would not.
(Making social media harder to access cuts both ways, of course; it's entirely possible that limiting social media to those who can pay would only amplify the voices of bad guys with money. Does make me wonder how much social media toxicity is related to these sites being totally free, though.)
