Facebook is the most popular social media site out there. It is completely free to use, at least that is what the platform wants us to believe. And it is actually true, not many have us have ever paid a single dime to use Facebook. So, by conclusion, we can say that Facebook is completely free to use. But, is that really so?
Picking strawberries for free
Imagine the fact that you love strawberries (might not be hard to imagine). You see a big area in which there are thousands of strawberries waiting to be picked. To enter the area you just have to make an agreement with the owner... you can eat and enjoy the fruits, but at the same time, you will have to bring at least half the fruit back to him.
You consider this to be a win-win situation, so you eat and enjoy, and also help the owner make his money (as he sells the strawberries you pick for him). But, it is also a great win for him. After all, he doesn't have to pay anyone to pick the strawberries, because you bring them to him for free (or he pays you with strawberries).
Why do I speak about strawberries when I am supposed to write about Facebook?
The principles are very similar! Do you know why?
You want to enjoy the services of Facebook, so you give them your information. You are then able to upload photos, chat with friends, see their profiles, and enjoy the "fruit of the platform." But, while you enjoy the fruit, you are working for Facebook, providing them with lots of valuable information that they can sell to their customers. As a result, Facebook is free in the sense that you never have to send them money, but you are actually paying them still, with your time, energy, and data.
Today, I received a gift... a t-shirt. Do you know how I got it? Well, a person that loves me very much saw a Facebook commercial, visit the website, and ordered the t-shirt. Isn't that just awesome? How did Facebook know that this person wanted to see such ads? Because, they have seen her clicks, they see what she looks at, and they know her values, interests, and more. As a result, they can send really targeted ads, which are way more likely to be successful, than the random ads we were used to back in the days.
Facebook tricks me to enjoy their free service, while I actually work for them without payment!
That is the beautiful truth. I know, many people happily pay Facebook with their hours day after day. But, now you at least know about it.
And just like Facebook isn't free, there is no such thing as a free VPN either. Free services will never manage to survive, and in the end, we all want to survive. So, whenever something is free, there is almost always some method or way in which the creators or users can monetize the product.
Thank you for reading through this article! I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, ideas, and meanings on the matter in the comment field!
Facebook is developed as SEO for businesses.