Comments on: Why Do Readers Cheat Content Paywalls in Online Journalism? http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/11/why-do-readers-cheat-content-paywalls-in-online-journalism/ Ideas, innovations and discoveries from the world of science Wed, 19 Jun 2013 23:22:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Robert Black http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/11/why-do-readers-cheat-content-paywalls-in-online-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-7835 Robert Black Mon, 05 Nov 2012 21:59:46 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/?p=12808#comment-7835 When NYT instituted the payments, I simply went to the Library to read the print edition. It was more onerous, of course, but then I no longer had lunch debris in my office. Wall Street Journal also makes you pay for internet service even if you subscribe to the print edition. Consequently, I never go to their portal. This payment isn't much by itself, but added to other monthly payments it is onerous also. Consequently, I buy the print edition of this paper. When NYT instituted the payments, I simply went to the Library to read the print edition. It was more onerous, of course, but then I no longer had lunch debris in my office.

Wall Street Journal also makes you pay for internet service even if you subscribe to the print edition. Consequently, I never go to their portal. This payment isn’t much by itself, but added to other monthly payments it is onerous also. Consequently, I buy the print edition of this paper.

]]> By: Daniel Kim http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/11/why-do-readers-cheat-content-paywalls-in-online-journalism/comment-page-1/#comment-7808 Daniel Kim Sun, 04 Nov 2012 15:03:11 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/?p=12808#comment-7808 Part of my problem with the NYTimes paywall is that the options do not include a simple web-only subscription. Instead, the Times attempted to bundle in either a print subscription or a smartphone app subscription, neither of which are of any use to me. In addition, the cost of the subscription seemed unreasonably high. So, I had the impression that I was being asked to pay for services that I would never use, and I would be paying much more than I felt was reasonable. This created a strange mental quirk for me, which may have been shared by others. I somehow felt that a large part of the subscription price was to cover the services that I did not want: printed paper or mobile app, while the web-only access that I would actually use could have been financed by a more modest price. Rationally, this makes no real sense, but it triggered a sense of injustice that conveniently justified my efforts to circumvent the paywall. Part of my problem with the NYTimes paywall is that the options do not include a simple web-only subscription. Instead, the Times attempted to bundle in either a print subscription or a smartphone app subscription, neither of which are of any use to me. In addition, the cost of the subscription seemed unreasonably high. So, I had the impression that I was being asked to pay for services that I would never use, and I would be paying much more than I felt was reasonable.

This created a strange mental quirk for me, which may have been shared by others. I somehow felt that a large part of the subscription price was to cover the services that I did not want: printed paper or mobile app, while the web-only access that I would actually use could have been financed by a more modest price. Rationally, this makes no real sense, but it triggered a sense of injustice that conveniently justified my efforts to circumvent the paywall.

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