Social Media Profit Driven Enterprises

While using social media we need to remember that it isn’t run for our benefit, but to make as much profit as possible for the shareholders. This makes certain operations better because they are more profitable. 

It's one of the reasons I really don't like some algorithm making decisions about what and in what order I see things. The algorithm for any of these services is based not on what I want to see, but what the company will keep me on the site for the longest time and make them the most money. It's interesting, I don't really mind having ads in my timeline. I just ignore them. It's the fact that the order in which things are shown aren't based on anything that I care about.

I really like to have my entries presented in (reverse) chronological order. If you put an add between some entries, that's OK with me. Just don't muck with the entries that I want to see.

Thinking about Facebook, Twitter, and the others as profit-making entities helps keep me from getting too worked up about things. After all, I grew up with broadcast television and am used to the add-based model. As long as the ads aren't obtrusive I'm OK. I don't really like pop-up ads because they get in the way of my actual interest. Ads that start playing the minute I hit a page cause me to immediately get off the site. If I want to hear your pitch, I will click on your ad. Don't shove it in my face.

I'm also unlikely to pay for things on social media sites. I already pay for streaming and I don't want to pay for reading articles just to avoid the ads or let people that I'm me.

I think that users need to realize that corporations are greedy. They will work to get every ounce of profit from their enterprises. Media outlets are no different. It we want to fight greed in social media, we need to make it more profitable for them to give us what we want and shun those outlets that don't do that. 

Fight with your pocket book and hit them in the only place that they care about -- THEIR pocketbooks.