Is Ownership Dead?

34 years of age have spread my life across five decades, two centuries and two millenniums. I have experienced a technological revolution.

• From dial-up to broadband
• From cassettes and CDs to streaming
• From cartridge to streaming
• and from DVD to blu ray and now, streaming.

We are expanding quicker than consumers can adapt which is both fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Whilst I love the future and new ideas are incredibly exciting, the thought of never owning anything and only ever renting is a little sad to ponder.

The world does move on and yes, we all have to adapt but there is something truly sad in the consideration that we can never own anything.

Netflix

The original streaming service and yes, you may respond and point out others that I have not considered but for me, it will always be Netflix. The concept of being able to stream so many programmes at the click of a button, to see the entire first season of Pokemon when I want and as many times as I could stomach was intoxicating.

Netflix also originated the concept of creating its own films and TV series, all of which started with House of Cards. An amazingly addictive political drama that, whilst starring a horrible human being (behind the scenes) in Kevin Spacey, provided the audience with a glimpse of the future.

Original shows were brought to you in one go, where you could stream an entire 12-episode season in one swift hit. This was the dream that hooked us all but then competition arrived and contracts with TV production companies emerged.

Episodes began to be shown one by one, week by week. Content began to be taken back as others launched rival services such as Disney+ and Apple TV, yet they have not hit the spot as Netflix, but the dents are beginning to be laid bare.

Whereas before the rivals emerged we considered everything to always be available on the streaming platform, now we know that contracts exist and nothing lasts forever.

PlayStation Plus

The PlayStation 4 introduced us to PlayStations Plus, our pass to online gameplay and whilst I rarely dabble beyond friends these days, back then I was hooked. Endless rounds of Call of Duty where I was able to rank and enjoy the experience rather than nowadays where I take one walk out their door and end up with multiple puncture wounds.

PlayStation Plus also introduced us to the concept of free games. Monthly rewards for a paid subscription model but there was a catch. You needed to download them before the end of the month or you would be unable to claim. Even then the game could be taken away from the store at any point at the publisher's request.

Today, PlayStation Plus exists across multiple tiers. I have purchased the top tier and now, alongside the monthly games I am able to stream some older games and games within the existing PlayStation 5 library such as Spiderman-Miles Morales and Control, that can be played at no extra charge. There is timed access to the access and right now I am rapidly attempting to complete Miles Morales before it is taken away.

The concept of ownership can still exist with the purchase of a physical game but even then, consoles have limited life spans. I cannot play my old Playstation original games on a PS5, so once again the concept of ownership is limited.

Spotify

After Napster and iTunes, there was Spotify, the streaming giant and in my opinion the market leader and I am not just saying this because I cannot stand Apple but I cannot. Apple rarely innovates these days and merely waits for others to go first and then uses its enormous revenue reserves to create its own variant.

Spotify offers all users the chance to stream virtually any piece of music from human history. Something that used to thrill me to the core but as I can take or leave music these days, leaves me feeling rather indifferent.

The essential consideration here however is that Spotify offers this functionality, to stream virtually anything from human history, alongside podcast content.

Royalties and who is entitled to what and when have always been an issue with the platform and for this reason, some artists have refused to include their content here, with some asking for content removal also.

• Spotify is a giant one which has cemented an amazing legacy for itself, with immense content arms to choose from but is it permanent?
• Will it begin to suffer a similar challenge such as the one that Netflix is currently going through and will at any point will we have security when it comes to streaming?
• Will we ever be able to have a piece of mind that a piece of music won't simply disappear the following day before we can listen?

A Final Thought

Ownership can cause despair.

It can lead to unhappiness through unrequited achievement such as in the case of houses. This is especially true when it comes to England as ownership of a home is a borderline obsession, whereas in Germany the focus is on the rental market and ensuring that it is as fair and stable.

By removing ownership, you stop obsession and the same could be said with films, games and music.

By only focusing on the borrowing of content you ensure that huge sums are not spent securing copies and if the price is affordable as it is with Spotify (for example), then everyone can have access. You do not end up creating an unfair market such as that which we have with the housing market in England in 2023.

I love the fact that I own many things but it could be considered obsessive and maybe if I had not focused on these areas then I would already have a home to call my own. Instead, I have thousands of pounds of debt and plenty of worry. Maybe these streaming giants are slowly eroding our connection to ownership and maybe that is a good thing.