Streamers and ecomm sites love roping customers into subscriptions — but at what cost?

By Matt Collins Article may include affiliate links

In the 11 years I’ve had a Netflix subscription, it didn’t occur to me until a few weeks ago that I could just cancel it, or that I might want to. For most of my adult life, the service has functioned as something of an entertainment utility: first, because I was far too broke to afford cable, and then, once Netflix turned on its fire hose of original shows and movies, because everyone seemed to be constantly shrieking about “House of Cards” or “Stranger Things” or “Tiger King.” The price crept up over the years, but paying for it has felt like the cost of doing business, if that business is understanding what the hell your friends are talking about during the first round at happy hour.