At least some companies building on Nostr are already considering how users can be monetized, and I recall at least one mentioning introducing advertising at some point (Plebstr team). Whether and how to use user data such as likes to determine user behavior and preferences and whether and how to incorporate advertising is inevitable for any company as they grow. Any user data can be used to feed algos, etc, but my issue with likes specifically is the lack of cost to produce them and therefore their real value is as mechanism to inform companies/advertisers, not to provide meaningful interactions between users.  

 3rd day of trial/real reply/corndalorian- gr8 days! 

 working on new hardware 

 software 

 That makes sense. Mechanism to inform companies as oppposed to something to interact between users 

 💯 If the question is what is their value/purpose, then that’s how I see it.  

 But doesn't it also provide value to the creator?

Though, I suppose comments could do that just as well.

But then they just use that data instead. 

Not sure what the solution is, but I like to acknowledge people sometimes when I have nothing meaningful to contribute. 

 No. Likes provide no value to a creator unless those likes are part of a system that translates to ad revenue sharing.  

 I’ve both liked, replied and zapped this note. Where do I stand? 😅 

 And by both I mean a trifecta… 

 I think you won the nostr 😂

https://media1.tenor.com/m/QwyDTN_0AfAAAAAC/the-goon-win.gif 

 https://media.tenor.com/OxqZwpyTJCEAAAAC/just.gif
 

 It provides a metric of their opinions.


Or do you mean this in a sense where advertising is already the status quo? What are we worried about on nostr? Relays being ad supported?

I consider any communication with what I write some amount of value. Even if it isn't monetary. 

 “A metric of their opinions” to what end? Does that give you some kind of emotional validation of your worth as a creator? 

And yes, you ought to be concerned about relays and clients becoming ad supported, because advertisers wield a lot of influence. When clients or relays become ad supported, you (the end user) are no longer their customer. The advertisers are now their customers, and that will greatly impact their decisions.