Many folks are justifying this decision on the basis that Amazon might lose some amount of money keeping the site up so of course they are shutting it down. That take isn't wrong, but man it's depressing. The lack of common goods in the digital world bums me out, especially since that world keeps occupying more and more of people's time.

In the physical world there are countless spaces that exist as an open ended resource that people can use in a myriad of ways to enhance their lives and community. Things like city parks, libraries, national parks, blm land, lakes, etc. Places that will likely exist for decades or centuries. But there is almost none of that online. Most things are run by profit maximizing corporations that only look at the world through that one lens.

I don't think it _has_ to be this way, but unfortunately the current culture is too ok with it for much to change in the foreseeable future.