Salrite posted...
But it's never felt like a platform that was marketed as free use.
That is definitely a factor. If Netflix had always been priced as it is now, had a library comparable to its current one, included ads in the lower tiers, and prohibited account sharing, I don't think anyone would have an issue with it. Because all of those things are marked downgrades from a previous state, though, people are unhappy that the service they used to enjoy has become less enjoyable. Similarly, Youtube has downgraded from the service it once provided and is charging a premium fee to remove those downgrades, and that just feels icky.
Really, though, that's where the tech industry is these days. They've run out of improvements to sell, but those numbers gotta keep going up forever, so they have to invent problems and sell solutions to them. Capitalism, ho!