> ... these apps are useful to someone, otherwise, kreci wouldn't be making money from them.
this logic only works out if you approach things myopically.
do you think drug dealers provide a useful commodity? they're certainly making a lot of money.
the apps described take advantage of some neurological disposition to gimmicks / novelty - it's not a given that the world is a better place because of them.
I guess you're calling capitalism myopic. I don't necessarily disagree with you, but that's the framework we've set up.
(And yes, I do think drug dealers provide value. It's a service, people want it. In any other context, we'd be writing articles about how a perceptive entrepreneur rose up from a simple upbringing to rolling in cash, it's just that we look down upon the product.)
There's a pretty decent sibling of mine who's dead. You may want to turn showdead on temporarily.
yes, capitalism is myopic and you can justify many myopic conclusions by limiting yourself to its framework.
> ... it's just that we look down upon the product.
that's an amusing misdirection. it's actually more about the lives ruined and suffering experienced by way of the product.
> What is your definition of wealth? Paul Graham says, and I tend to agree with him, that wealth is "things people want". If people want these apps (or drugs), then the apps (and drugs) create wealth.
wealth is control over other people. having lots of money in a capitalist system is a proxy for being able to control lots of other people in this system.
taking advantage of neurological hooks (chemical in the case of drugs, or sensual in the case of advertising / apps / etc) is certainly one way to gain controller over others (by the proxy of money).
i suppose if your concerns are entirely contained within the bounds of playing that game (very much the case for many entrepreneurial types) there's no motivation to challenge its definition of "value".
> it's actually more about the lives ruined and suffering experienced by way of the product.
This is an 'amusing misdirection,' to use your own words, about you forcing your own morality on others. There are plenty of people that use drugs without ruining their lives, no need to get high and mighty about it.
> wealth is control over other people.
Hey man, I'm an anarchist. I understand exactly what you're saying. But regardless of my own personal thoughts on the subject, that's not the way that this country is set up.
As I said over here[1], it's just that we're talking about two different things. Within capitalism, kreci is creating value. If you'd like to discuss a different system, then you need to tell everyone that you're talking about something else. When on a forum about startups, I assume people are discussing the current system by default.
Just because we don't deem them useful here doesn't mean there aren't people who do find them useful.