--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's very complicated. There's been this…" description: "\"It's very complicated. There's been this broader mechanism, an industry, which wants people to use free services, from the old days of advertising-supp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adb/astra-taylor-9450_ads_it-s-very-complicated-there-s-been-this_231037.jpg" --- # It's very complicated. There's been this broader… ![“It's very complicated. There's been this broader mechanism, an industry, which wants people to use free services, from the old days of advertising-supported papers and magazines, to ad-supported free television.” quote by Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adb/astra-taylor-9450_ads_it-s-very-complicated-there-s-been-this_231037.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adb/astra-taylor-9450_ads_it-s-very-complicated-there-s-been-this_231037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adb/astra-taylor-9450_ads_it-s-very-complicated-there-s-been-this_231037.jpg) > “It's very complicated. There's been this broader mechanism, an industry, which wants people to use free services, from the old days of advertising-supported papers and magazines, to ad-supported free television.” [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques how industries push free services, shifting costs to users while maintaining ad revenue. **In simple terms:** Industries promote free services funded by ads, affecting users. Key Takeaway Beware hidden costs of “free” services. Themes media economics advertising consumerism technology Mood critical inquisitive Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - online news consumption - streaming services - social media usage - public policy debates Key Concepts ad‑supported models platform economics digital monetization Questions to Reflect On - How do ad‑supported models affect user autonomy? - What alternatives exist to ad‑driven free content? A Different Perspective Free services may compromise privacy or quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Old days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-days/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [It wasn't that people wanted things for free and asked for advertising to fund it - it's that these companies wanted to amass an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/it-wasn-t-that-people-wanted-things-for-free-and-asked-for/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [I think, at the end of the day, Stockhouse will have free services supported by advertising, but we'll also have a number of subscription…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-berwick/i-think-at-the-end-of-the-day-stockhouse-will-have-free-services/) [Jeff Berwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-berwick/) > [Democracy means free television, not good television, but free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/democracy-means-free-television-not-good-television-but-free/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [The threat to free television. The reason television is free is because it is a life support system for commercials. That fundamental aspect is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-wolf/the-threat-to-free-television-the-reason-television-is-free-is/) [Dick Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-wolf/) > [Free services like Wikipedia I don't think benefit anyone - they don't benefit the professional because they're not paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-keen/free-services-like-wikipedia-i-don-t-think-benefit-anyone-they-don-t/) [Andrew Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-keen/) > [I grew up with free television. Now, it wasn't free, there was these commercials, and so the economic model was driven through commercials and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/i-grew-up-with-free-television-now-it-wasn-t-free-there-was-these/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [ This is the industry that wants \[music\], the rap industry. You have to be on deck all the time, but you do not have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-thug/this-is-the-industry-that-wants-music-the-rap-industry-you-have-to-be/) [Young Thug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-thug/) > [The industry now wants to be in charge of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-e-king/the-industry-now-wants-to-be-in-charge-of-everything/) [Ben E. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-e-king/) > [ This is the industry that wants \[music\], the rap industry. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-thug/this-is-the-industry-that-wants-music-the-rap-industry/) [Young Thug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-thug/) > [Corporations have steered the industry into what it wants, and a lot of times they will make artists record what it wants or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/corporations-have-steered-the-industry-into-what-it-wants-and-a-lot/) [Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/) > [I just don't want to follow the trajectory of what the industry wants me to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-faist/i-just-don-t-want-to-follow-the-trajectory-of-what-the-industry-wants/) [Mike Faist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-faist/) > [Designers have a responsibility to show the future as they want it to be - or at least as it can be, not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/designers-have-a-responsibility-to-show-the-future-as-they-want-it-to/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [Be life-minded and that will come through in your performances. Guessing what the 'industry' wants too much will stifle your true expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-lou-wood/be-life-minded-and-that-will-come-through-in-your-performances/) [Aimee Lou Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-lou-wood/) > [The whole medical industry wants us sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-hof/the-whole-medical-industry-wants-us-sick/) [Wim Hof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-hof/) > [I think I was told numerous times in the industry that nobody wants to watch a guy on a keyboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-esmail/i-think-i-was-told-numerous-times-in-the-industry-that-nobody-wants/) [Sam Esmail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-esmail/) ## More by Astra Taylor > [One connection I see between the work I did on philosophy and my work on technology is that both communities tend to mystify and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/one-connection-i-see-between-the-work-i-did-on-philosophy-and-my-work/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [“wealth and power are shifting to those who control the platforms on which all of us create, consume, and connect. The companies that provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/wealth-and-power-are-shifting-to-those-who-control-the-platforms-on/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [“Though it’s hard to believe now, newspapers were once the envy of the business world. Through the eighties and nineties, 20, 30, even 40…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/though-it-s-hard-to-believe-now-newspapers-were-once-the-envy-of-the/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [Those who applaud social production and networked amateurism, the colorful cacophony that is the Internet, and the creative capacities of everyday people to produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/those-who-applaud-social-production-and-networked-amateurism-the/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [“The rub is that over the intervening years we have somehow deceived ourselves into believing that this state of insecurity and inequity is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/the-rub-is-that-over-the-intervening-years-we-have-somehow-deceived/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [There's something odd about telling people, artists, that they need to work for free to be pure while you're sitting there getting a salary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/there-s-something-odd-about-telling-people-artists-that-they-need-to/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [“Instead of distinct old and new media, what we have is a complex cultural ecosystem that spans the analog and digital, encompassing physical places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/instead-of-distinct-old-and-new-media-what-we-have-is-a-complex/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [Art and culture are nonetheless vital, essential even, to what it means to be human, yet digital abundance has diminished our sense of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/art-and-culture-are-nonetheless-vital-essential-even-to-what-it-means/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [First we need to rethink the terms and recognize that we've imported this language from the technocratic class, from Silicon Valley, that talks about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/first-we-need-to-rethink-the-terms-and-recognize-that-we-ve-imported/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [I'd go to conference after conference and it would essentially be the talking points. Either pro or con. It's amazing how polarized the tech…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/i-d-go-to-conference-after-conference-and-it-would-essentially-be-the/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [We've been criticizing these superficial aspects, like whether we are all more distracted. We really need to articulate a defense, a critique, that merges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/we-ve-been-criticizing-these-superficial-aspects-like-whether-we-are/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [I try to look at the evolution of these utopian claims. In the late '60s there was an assumption that the wealth generated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/i-try-to-look-at-the-evolution-of-these-utopian-claims-in-the-late/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [The market won't let us treat all data equally because there's a potential to make huge gobs of money not doing that. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/the-market-won-t-let-us-treat-all-data-equally-because-there-s-a/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [My point, though, is that if lines have indeed shifted, it's not so much that the younger generation just doesn't care, it's that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/my-point-though-is-that-if-lines-have-indeed-shifted-it-s-not-so-much/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) > [Advertisers are happy to see the stuff they've branded out there for free, they don't care about scarcity, they want any message they're invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astra-taylor/advertisers-are-happy-to-see-the-stuff-they-ve-branded-out-there-for/) [Astra Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) [Explore all 72 Astra Taylor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astra-taylor/) ## More Ads quotes > [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Metallica's the only band i've ever been in. I'm not sure that when it ends in five, ten years, I'm going to put an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/metallica-s-the-only-band-i-ve-ever-been-in-i-m-not-sure-that-when-it/) [Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/) > [As a Fundamentalist I had discovered while I was in college that it is possible to dismiss the entire Church as having gone off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-howard-3rd-duke-of-norfolk/as-a-fundamentalist-i-had-discovered-while-i-was-in-college-that-it/) Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk > [ The most recent incarnation of \[Bob\] Dylan has been the traveling journeyman/ charlatan who sings roots music, snarls dark lyrics that make "All Along… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/the-most-recent-incarnation-of-bob-dylan-has-been-the-traveling/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [One performer whose band played my music better than I could myself was Art Farmer. He recorded 'Sing Me Softly of the Blues' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-bley/one-performer-whose-band-played-my-music-better-than-i-could-myself/) [Carla Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-bley/) > [What every human being should do is eat a vegetarian diet based on whole foods. Period. That's it. Animal protein is bad for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/what-every-human-being-should-do-is-eat-a-vegetarian-diet-based-on/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [In market research I did at Microsoft Corp. in the early 1990s, I estimated that the 'Wall Street Journal' took in about 75 cents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/in-market-research-i-did-at-microsoft-corp-in-the-early-1990s-i/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [Donald Trump threatened to file a defamation suit against me for running a TV ad that consisted only entirely of his own words on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/donald-trump-threatened-to-file-a-defamation-suit-against-me-for/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [There is nothing personal about a personal ad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/there-is-nothing-personal-about-a-personal-ad/) [Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/) > [Google has - at least at this point - maintained the line where it keeps organic results separate from the advertisements. But over time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wu/google-has-at-least-at-this-point-maintained-the-line-where-it-keeps/) [Tim Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wu/) > [I am terrible at memorizing things. Hence, ad-libbing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-weatherly/i-am-terrible-at-memorizing-things-hence-ad-libbing/) [Michael Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-weatherly/) > [In a recent attack ad, the NRA claims that President Obama cares about his own children more than he cares about other children. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/in-a-recent-attack-ad-the-nra-claims-that-president-obama-cares-about/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [Nothing's going to keep me from making music. If I were in the want-ads in the back of the paper or playing to six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/nothing-s-going-to-keep-me-from-making-music-if-i-were-in-the-want/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [For me, being on set is no different than being at a dinner table or riding the subway next to someone; inevitably their life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-mahoney/for-me-being-on-set-is-no-different-than-being-at-a-dinner-table-or/) [Victoria Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-mahoney/) > [We assumed the customers were smart and that they'll buy what they like, not what the ads tell them to buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-rosso/we-assumed-the-customers-were-smart-and-that-they-ll-buy-what-they/) [Renzo Rosso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-rosso/) Browse all 856 Ads quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's very complicated. 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