Big Social is moving a way from ad-subsidized free to a subscription model. For example:

1. Meta Verified
2. Twitter Blue
3. Snapchat+
4. Reddit Premium
5. Tumblr ad-free

If this is going to become the pre-eminent method of Big Social's revenue generation, then this is a game that the Fediverse will probably win against Big Social.

Yes, it's hard to compete against "free" -- but Big Social isn't exactly offering "free" anymore.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/27/social-media-apps-adopting-subscription-models