I'm trying to get people on the Fediverse to think about why technology feels like it keeps getting worse and whether it's because of capitalism or monopolies. Posted at https://4d2.social/@CryogenicNighthawk/115592397420821907 but I'll post a copy here to save people a click.
It'd be great if people would wake up to why tech products go down in quality and up in price.
Anti-competitiveness is part of it.
A bigger part is that they have to make more money each year, not because of capitalism or that some legal code requires it, but because our money is intentionally debased at least 2% every year. This is why we have to have exponential growth. It's why prices go up instead of down.
There's a reason fractional reserve banking isn't taught in high schools.
This need for infinite growth is why people treat their home like a savings account. It does a better job at holding its value than getting 1% interest (if you're lucky) in a literal savings account.
It's why people invest in the stock market. It's not like people think Apple needs a little extra cash so they can invest in better equipment.
It's how we get these crazy derivatives, because the normal stocks and bonds can't keep up.
Currency debasement is why real wages go down every year by default. If the money supply were held constant, a 3% raise would actually buy you 3% more. Instead you are merely treading water.
And, no, I'm not going to suggest you call a politician to change this. They're not interested in that. I'm not going to suggest moving to another county either. It wouldn't help.
There are other solutions. Time banking, mutual aid, bartering, and using money that doesn't have inflation.
It's easy to hypothesize that governments need to keep printing money, but I have to ask... how well has the fiat system served you?
If, on average, your purchasing power is going up every year or you're holding steady on that front and getting more time off, then I'd say it's working well for you.
If, on the other hand, things keep getting harder and you feel like you don't have any free time, maybe it's worth considering the alternatives.
People should be talking about this.