A while ago I joined the waitlist for Illumicrate and Fairyloot, two monthly subscription services that provide special editions of recently released books. I didn’t have a particular preference for either of them, so I joined Illumicrate as soon as I got off their waitlist. A few days ago, (after months of waiting) I got off of the Fairyloot waitlist as well. Now, while I enjoy spending money as much as the next person, I’m realistic enough to know I don’t need two book subscriptions. This decision meant I had to then decide which one to go with, now that I had access to both. Naturally, I went straight to Google and typed the following in the search bar: “Illumicrate vs Fairyloot”. After a moment’s hesitation, I added “Reddit” to the query. I consider information from Reddit to be more useful in subjective matters, as it compiles multiple experiences, and doesn’t make me question whether the author of the advice is sponsored. In my experience, the replies are more straightforward as well.
Looking at this first page of results, I immediately discarded the second and fourth links. These seem to be aimed more towards people who get the full subscription (which includes items such as glass tumblers and pouches branded with fandom references), and I opt for book-only. That leaves me with options one and three, which together have more than thirty comments. All this without even having to scroll down.
After going through some of the replies I decided to stick with Illumicrate, as commenters noted that their skipping policy (= the rules surrounding your ability to opt out of a month without canceling your subscription) is a lot more lenient, which makes it a better fit for me and my saving goals. I could have found this information myself, but going about it this way made it a very quick experience, and I might not even have thought to look into skipping policies at all had it not been pointed out to me.
This is not the only time I have used the internet for things like this. When planning a trip to Japan I looked up how long I should stay in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. If I want to grab a bite in the city I’ll check the reviews on Maps to see what others think. Instead of figuring things out as I go, I can use the advice of strangers on the internet to essentially decide for me. After all, why put additional effort into something that someone else has already simplified for you? The World Brain was intended as a way to make specialized information easily accessible and, if you ask me, situations such as the ones described above fit those criteria nicely. As the digital world continues to expand, communities are created for people who are ‘experts’ on niche subjects. Perhaps we don’t need their input to function, and it probably doesn’t contribute to a goal as prestigious as achieving world peace, but it sure is nice to have around. After all, isn’t convenience one of the driving forces behind innovation?
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