Why are people trippin so much over the idea of a "contract"?

If you are already with AT&T right now, & you like the service, then cool
You can upgrade to a new phone, without having to pay for the new phone
"So what the problem is" --Sam Jackson voice
Are ninjas really switching cell carriers every year?
Are ninjas really buying new phones every year?
Traditional "slab" cell phone technology ain't really changing that much anymore
And I'm talking about traditional slab phones, not foldable/flippable phones
Back in the day you had... HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Apple, LG
And it seemed like every new android version upgrade brought noticeably different/better changes
But now a days the hardware & software has matured so much
That why you see some ninjas still rocking Note 10's and Note 20's, and not hardly missing anything new
Verizon had this same type of promotional deal, just a few months ago
I think it has something to do with cell companies cutting off 3G towers, by the end of this year
I'm assuming they would rather offer people a "free" new phone
Rather than piss of customers because, they can't get 3G internet service/reception on their older phones anymore