>>2454715People can cope and pretend like their contribution matters and is somehow keeping them afloat or encouraging more content but that has absolutely nothing to do with it.
Giving money to someone is a tangible way to interact with that person. It's a way for them to know you exist. It's also the only way that you can legally force yourself upon that person, and make them have a relationship with you even if it is extremely one-sided. Some people take this even further and fetishize it into self-imposed findom.
Basically, donation is a form of parasocial rape.
