this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2025
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I bet like "free to play" games they'll find a few "whale" users who will spend inappropriate amounts of money. There's a long history of people paying for companionship... Now it's even more fake :(
Yeah, I'm worried you're right.
Exactly. The "whale" model is especially insidious here becuase it's targeting emotional needs rather than just gaming dopamine hits. Some companionship apps are already using tiered subscription models where you pay more for "deeper relationships" or special interactions. It's basically emotional exploitation as a service.