The difference between Instagram and Flickr can be summed up in one short phrase: publisher self-esteem. And in the next decade that’s going to be a make or break factor for all large publishing sites…
What do WordPress.com and Flickr have in common? They’re among a small number of very large publishing platforms that target the publisher as their main source of funding. They seek to browbeat the creator who provides them with the very substance of their value, into directly paying their bills, and lining their pockets with profit.
Ethically, asking content-creators to pay for your site is a bit like asking the vicar, transport-providers, tailor/dressmaker, stylist, caterers, entertainers, photographer, etc, to club together and pay for your wedding. How rude a request would that be? Pretty damn rude. And yet traditionally, in the realm of online publishing, content-providers have not only refused to be insulted by such a suggestion – they’ve actually handed over the money.
