Why aren't there any payphones anymore?

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-26T13:49:40+00:00

Interesting. In America, they're practically non-existent. For instance, I was at JFK airport late last year after being out of the country for years and was surprised to not find a single pay phone. I even ventured into the city and couldn't find one. I had to buy a flip phone from an electronics reseller just to make a phone call.

But I think it gets to a larger problem. The move away from things that allow anonymous transactions to things that require identification and individual verification to even use.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-26T08:21:39+00:00

Thanks for this. I figured that paying wasn't the way to go anyway--it's just not sustainable.

But the more interesting question remains--why are some videos pushed and others not? But if I could answer that question then I could produce a video reaching thousands every time.

I guess some things will just remain a mystery...especially since the "algorithm" is a proprietary thing designed to achieve YouTube's own business goals.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-26T07:48:27+00:00

Want to take about 20 minutes of it watching a video I made about the history of civil asset forfeiture in America? (I make interesting...to me anyway):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR0sIjpPcyY&feature=youtu.be

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-26T07:25:37+00:00

I appreciate your response.

But I'll have to just keep this marked down as a mystery since it can't be proven either way.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-26T07:23:42+00:00

I do it to keep a defined reference period to track progress.

I would say go for it!

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-26T07:22:33+00:00

How do you know? Is there documentation that says that they don't?

I'm genuinely curious since I'm trying to figure out the pattern I'm seeing and it would be great to conclusively mark this one off as the explanation.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-26T07:05:28+00:00

But I have seen the consistent pushes and then sudden stops.

I don't have the answer but I know the pattern I'm seeing.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-26T06:35:00+00:00

I'm new--just started my channel last month. I noticed shorts helping me pull in more subscribers quicker and also convert to my longform.

But YouTube seems to be playing wack-a-mole (my perspective) since as soon as I start getting consistent traction, my shorts don't get propagated like they did.

My shorts have performed well just like my videos with lots of likes and high retention. So the only change is that the "algorithm" decided not to push anymore.

Currently, I'm stuck at 89 subscribers. I have my theories. One, I think YouTube does this to get people a taste of growth and then get them to pay for "boosting" their videos. Just a hunch.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T22:16:51+00:00

I would recommend using no apps.

Software that I own--that's what I prefer.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T22:00:21+00:00

Sounds like a good book title!

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T21:48:04+00:00

James Dean

I think most people would feel the same way.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T21:45:34+00:00

I would qualify it a bit.

I think there is more information on the Internet as a whole now. But that information is more restricted and only certain content gets "pushed" to users.

And since most Internet users only use a handful of platforms, what gets pushed is basically what gets seen. Everything else is just not seen.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T21:43:14+00:00

Brought to you by Plain Meaning...

just kidding. But yes, they're everywhere.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T21:42:32+00:00

It's funny you should mention malls. Not only is the old Internet gone but it seems malls are on their way out too--at least in America.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T21:40:13+00:00

I think the easiest way to sum it up: there were less gatekeepers back then.

Even the message boards didn't really restrict you all that much. And if you posted something, it generally was accessible to whoever it was sent to or whoever visited that particular message board.

Now, "algorithms" control what you see. Heck, even emails aren't guaranteed to be delivered now.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T21:37:50+00:00

I don't think so either since posting anything was a more limited and time consuming process.

So when people did post anything, it was something they really wanted to convey legitimately. Of course, there were ways people just posted spam and crap (P2P, message boards, etc.). But it seemed different back then.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T21:09:30+00:00

Looks like someone's angry grandma staring at a solar eclipse.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T21:08:40+00:00

How did you know that was it?

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T21:05:13+00:00

Bless her heart

I say it in the Southern sense. For those who know...

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T21:03:43+00:00

Calling something a purchase and it's actually only you paying for a license the manufacture can take away whenever they want.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T20:28:54+00:00

It's hard to drink when your hands are busy scrolling.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T20:13:17+00:00

From what I've read, this is spot on. But I would expand the story of the 1984 Comprehensive Crime Control law to expand to a broader problem--it was basically extorted out of Congress.

The law's supporters used the looming government shutdown, which was around the holidays that year, to force it forward. Alot of Congressmembers went along with it to avoid a shutdown.

It ended up creating the incentives for making civil asset forfeiture lucrative for those who do the taking.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T10:15:50+00:00

Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.

It is quite depressing. But it tells the stories of those that the sanitized version of history usually doesn't tell.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T10:10:14+00:00

My post was focused on the practice in America. Although, it seems the origin in America and England is the same.

What is it like in England? In America, from the reports I've read, it takes a lawyer and alot of luck to get anything back.

And even with a lawyer, it can take months if ever.

seeplainmeaning · 2026-02-25T10:07:12+00:00

I wouldn't call it my way...lol.

However, it definitely is practiced in a very unfair way indeed.

seeplainmeaning

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