Comments like this often appear to be the exact sort of status-seeking they claim to hate. "I don't even own a TV," etc.
I really don't think the logical leap between "people like [person]" to "people think it's cute to pay a couple hundred bucks to get a unique message for someone from them."
And then if you want to get into "but some people spend thousands..." - then we're still just criticizing the extremes of the market, and not so much the concept. Like making a show of freaking out about the fact that some people pay $LOTS for a bottle of alcohol, vs the person who claims they can't understand why others would enjoy alcohol in the first place.
I can't speak for the commentor that you're replying to, but I also found the whole "only $5,000" point to be a hard to identify with. I've personally never had $5,000 at one time in my entire life, let alone $5,000 to spend on a short video. For me (and quite a few people that I know) that would literally be life changing money, so it's difficult to grasp.
I don't personally think the commentor was "making a show" with his question. In fact, if expressing opinions on this topic counts as "status seeking", wouldn't your defense of this business model count as the exact same thing you're decrying?
By my understanding of what you've just said, (paraphrasing here) "I can't imagine spending money on this" seeks to establish a status, but "I do not have a problem with people spending money on this" does not seek to establish a status. The way I read it, if "status-seeking" is at issue, the main difference is between the status you attempt to seek vs the status you perceive the other person to be seeking, not an indictment of the practice as a whole.
That was a bit of joke on my part with the 5k dollars. But who knows, people might just be willing to pay that if it makes their spouse/child/parent a little bit more happier or give them some memory they’ll cherish. But rates on the app range depending on the status of the celeb, and the lowest I believe is 25-30 dollars.
It's still quite the leap to me. I'd think most people who like another person would want a genuine social connection with that person if they want anything at all. I'd think that most people who observe a social connection lose respect for it when it's revealed to be highly transactional.
I'm criticizing the very concept of paying something of material value for a social connection, something that society looks down upon in general. When the matter is important, we call it "corruption" and "bribery". When it's not, we call it "sucking up", "selling out", "prostitution/escort-service", "fake".
The point is, paying for a social connection makes it fake. And no one likes a faker.
You probably don't like wrestling either? It's fake.
I used to dislike it (and again don't care for it today), but as a youngster, when I expressed disinterest due to its phoniness, a friend pointed out that... "so what?"
Yeah, it's fake. So are movies and TV shows. It's just for fun, and it's not a big deal. People suspend disbelief all the time. When you choose not to, the ones who do always look pretty silly.
I kind of agree with some of your points (I wouldn’t pay for this service and if someone paid so I’d get a message I’d find it hard to be appreciative) but I also feel it depends on penetration. After a while this deviance from the norm becomes normalized and accepted and it becomes like paying someone to prepare coffee for you. It doesn’t feel icky.
Let's break down the "people like [person]" premise a little - people like the character a person played in a constructed role. Then they think they know the person.
Your bottle of alcohol analogy is not good. It's more like you pay for a bottle of water with a Grey Goose label freshly stuck on and everyone pretends it's alcohol and pretends you can't see the glue on the label is fresh. People understand getting drunk.
Some people buy cheap stuff with expensive labels. I don't find that healthy for society.
I really don't think the logical leap between "people like [person]" to "people think it's cute to pay a couple hundred bucks to get a unique message for someone from them."
And then if you want to get into "but some people spend thousands..." - then we're still just criticizing the extremes of the market, and not so much the concept. Like making a show of freaking out about the fact that some people pay $LOTS for a bottle of alcohol, vs the person who claims they can't understand why others would enjoy alcohol in the first place.