It seems like we're approaching what I call the "dismal equilibrium." This is the idea that any free site/service/app eventually will have to monetize itself in order to remain free, inevitably in a way that degrades the experience. Ads, typically, "pay to win" for games, or perhaps even calls for donations for public radio. An equilibrium is reached when further monetization isn't possible without driving away users; quality is just barely tolerable, hence, "dismal."
