You Asked: The Editor’s Cut — Is subscription culture out of control?

Welcome to a special edition of You Asked: The Editor’s Cut! Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s shaping how we access tech, entertainment, and even everyday essentials: subscription culture. Caleb Denison is joined by three expert editors from Digital Trends who will help unpack the pros, cons, and quirks of this pervasive trend.

What is subscription culture?

Subscription culture represents a major shift in consumer behavior. Instead of purchasing products outright, people are increasingly opting to pay recurring fees to access them. This shift promises convenience and flexibility — no need for long-term commitments, just the freedom to come and go as we please. But is this trend delivering on its promises, or has it gone too far?

To help answer this, Caleb invited three of his colleagues to discuss their insights on the topic:

• Nick Mokey, Editor-in-Chief, known for his passion for tech and adventurous spirit (including his side project building geodesic domes).
• Giovanni Colantonio, Gaming Editor, also renowned for his clever Halloween costumes.
• Luke Larsen, Computing Editor and unabashed Star Wars enthusiast (also named after Luke Skywalker).

Subscription models: where they shine and where they fall short

Our discussion kicked off with each editor sharing two examples of subscription models — one within their field and one outside it. From music and gaming to cloud computing and more, they highlighted subscriptions that offer genuine value and others that fall short of expectations.

Nick, Giovanni, and Luke provided firsthand insights into which subscriptions enhance user experience and which ones seem to prioritize profit over value. This led to a spirited debate on the growing number of subscription-based services and whether consumers truly benefit from them.

We also discussed the fact that cloud storage subscriptions have somehow become a passive enabler of digital hoarding. You don’t want to miss the part of this episode in which we learn just how many emails Nick Mokey has sitting in his inbox — it’s a staggering number.

Be sure to watch to the end as our crew pivots from talking about what’s wrong with subscription culture to a discussion about what we might be able to do about it.

All in all, we think this is a topic that will resonate with just about everyone.