Services are no longer competing to win you over; they are competing to lock you in. Prices rise not out of necessity, but because they can. Advertisements return because the model demands them.
What begins as rebellion against old incumbents ends as a reshaping of incumbency itself. The platforms that once styled themselves liberators become the new rulers, wielding the same economic power by different means.
The disruption phase is not an illusion; it creates real value. It democratizes access. It forces incumbents to innovate. It drives cultural, technological, and behavioral shifts that outlast the golden years.