Although the internet has made it so much easier to find what you want to know, these days, people are increasingly willing to pay for quality content online. Are you a subscriber of Apple Music or Netflix? How many online courses have you paid for? Should we pay for knowledge? What is the underlying causes of the booming knowledge economy? In the same line, should museums and libraries charge for admission? Do you think the disadvantages of charging people for knowledge outweigh the advantages? Or do you agree with those people who argue for ‘No pay, no gain.’ theory. That is to say people tend to take free things less serious. This Saturday, let’s have a good catch-up session and talk about the to pay or not to pay dilemma.
互联网的诞生改变了知识传播的方式，也催生了一种“免费”的商业模式。曾几何时，每个互联网公司的CEO都会煞有其事地告诉你，比特经济笼罩下，一切由信息构成的产品的边际成本都在趋零化，所以我们的定价干脆就是零。
在过去十年中，“免费”——互联网行业曾经的常识，似乎在走向终结，内容付费和知识经济成为了互联网经济的新模式。你订阅了哪些互联网服务？你购买了哪些在线课程？你是樊登读书会的会员吗？在支付行为的背后是对知识的尊重还是缓解焦虑的安慰剂？推而广之，知识传播是否应为公益事业？如果需要为线上课程买单，参观博物馆和图书馆是否也应该收费？
本周的英语角，欢迎各位来叙叙旧，议议“知识付费”的辨析题。
Some Concluding Remarks from the Session
1. There is NO such thing as a free lunch. Products or services that appear to be free always have a cost to someone, even if it not the individual receiving the benefit. In many cases, free things don’t cost you nothing (think about your time, privacy and attention). Stay vigilant.
2. The concept of ‘free’ is open to interpretation. Free can imply cheap, causal, informal and insignificant. Free can also indicate invaluable, noble and charitable.
3. Sometimes, ‘no pay, no gain’ applies. For instance, paying a subscription to online courses actually motivates you to study.
4. Public libraries and museums should be free because they share a mission of education and cultural transmission and it is the government’s responsibility to guarantee that every citizen has free access to those facilities. Arguably, we’ve already paid for it as taxpayers.
5. From the perspective of event organisers/ service providers, to charge or not to charge depends on your intention. Free of charge tends to engage more people while an entrance fee, in its broad sense, functions as a filter, limiting/redefining the participants for an event/ organisation.
6. Quality contents, oragnised knowledge and well-designed courses are intellectual property deserving payment. To make a decision of to pay or not to pay, you may ask yourself whether you deserve the service/ product free. Or you are in fact obliged to contribute?
7. Last but not the least, just in case you are concerned,「茶隅FUN逅」will remain FREE and OPEN TO ALL.
Date and Time: 09/11/2019 19:30-21:00
Attendees: 13 Nanxian, Janny, Tony, Sandy, Hansen, Tiffany, Daisy, Sandy, Jean, Ryan, Micheal, Sheldon, Skylar
Archive files: 3 photos
Minutes taken by Janny
