People didn't choose social media because it extracted money from them on an industrial scale.
They chose it because it made some of the things they wanted to do (connect with people they knew in real life, discover new people they were interested in), easier than the alternatives. The fact it became easy to sell targeted ads in and against that content was good for investors, but it wasn't the USP to the end user.
They chose it because it made some of the things they wanted to do (connect with people they knew in real life, discover new people they were interested in), easier than the alternatives. The fact it became easy to sell targeted ads in and against that content was good for investors, but it wasn't the USP to the end user.