Dependence Is the New Debt

The Great Inversion

There was a time when debt meant owing money. When you paid it off, you were free.

Now there is a new form of bondage—one that never ends because it was never meant to end.

You do not own your software. You subscribe to it. You do not own your music. You stream it. You do not own your books. You license them. You do not own your photos. They live on someone else's server.

The shift is subtle but total: from one-time purchase to perpetual payment, from ownership to access, from property to permission.

Why This Matters Now

The subscription model has expanded into nearly every domain of life. Software, entertainment, transportation, even physical goods are increasingly offered as services rather than products.

This is presented as convenience. No large upfront cost. Always the latest version. Flexibility to cancel anytime.

But the flexibility runs one direction. The provider can change terms, raise prices, remove features, or terminate access. You have the flexibility to accept or leave—but leaving means losing access to your own data, your own work, your own history.

This Is Not New: History's Pattern

Feudal serfs worked land they could never own. Sharecroppers farmed but never escaped the cycle of debt and dependence. Company towns paid in scrip redeemable only at company stores.

The pattern is ancient: control access to essential resources and you control the people who depend on them.

The digital version is cleaner, more pleasant, wrapped in user experience design—but the structure is the same. Permanent dependence, perpetual payment, access without ownership.

The Costs of Convenience

Consider what you lose when you rent instead of own:

• Control: The provider decides when to update, what features to include, whether to continue the service at all.
• Stability: Your tools can change overnight. Your workflow can be disrupted without your consent.
• Legacy: What you build on rented infrastructure disappears when you stop paying or when the provider closes.
• Autonomy: You cannot operate independently. You are always connected, always paying, always dependent.
• Privacy: Rented tools require constant connection and often collect data about how you use them.

Questions a Free Person Should Ask

• What do I actually own versus merely access?
• What happens to my work if I stop paying?
• Can I export my data in a usable format?
• What would I lose if this service disappeared tomorrow?
• Is the convenience worth the dependence?
• What am I trading for the privilege of not owning?

What This Means for Ordinary People

The answer is not to reject all subscriptions—some genuinely make sense. The answer is intentionality.

Where possible, choose ownership over access. Keep local copies of important data. Use tools that export in standard formats. Build on infrastructure you control or can migrate from.

Recognize that every subscription is a recurring permission rather than a possession. Sometimes that trade makes sense. Often it does not—but the marketing makes it feel inevitable.

Debt could be paid off. Dependence cannot.

Frequently Asked Questions