I discussed almost exactly three months ago my concerns with how physical media disappearing could lead to issues due to how we never really seem to, "Own," digital media--even if we, "Buy," it. Some folks argue that if you outright bought something, of course you own it! Well, they are oh so very wrong sometimes, as recent news at the PlayStation store makes evident. John Walker at Kotaku breaks it all down:
Sony is contacting PlayStation Store users who bought movies from the platform that were distributed by StudioCanal—like Terminator 2, Total Recall, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind—to say that “you will no longer be able to access your previously purchased content from Studio Canal, and it will be removed from your video library.” There’s no mention of any refunds or make-goods for the affected users. Sony simply says the films are going away “due to our content licensing agreements,” once again reaffirming the fact that you are never truly buying anything that’s digital, just temporarily renting it.
You bought a movie to stream on your PlayStation or maybe even took the step to download it for some form of safekeeping. Sony comes along and says, "Nah, you didn't," before pointing to some fine print tucked away in a massive EULA document. Things like this are why I get nervous hearing, "GTA VI," won't have a disc in the physical boxes upon release, just a download code. When you don't have the DVD, comic, or even a DRM-free download of something, it could very well disappear someday from wherever you thought it was secure.
Society seems to be moving more and more towards a model where nothing is owned, and everything has a membership plan. The subscription economy has its cheerleaders and those fatigued by it. In some ways, it is the logical evolution of capitalism--arguably for the worse. Just remember that you own nothing and you're going to love it!
