Click each node to see how a free social platform turns your attention into money - and what that costs you.
🧑
You
Attention + Behaviour + Data
You use the platform. You provide the raw material.
Free
provides attention to
📱
The Platform
Attention Broker
Packages your behaviour into targetable segments and sells access.
~$227/yr per user
sells reach to
🏢
Advertisers
Behaviour Change Buyers
Pay per impression, click, or conversion. Goal: change what you do.
$740B industry
change your behaviour, generating
🔄
Changed Behaviour
More Data + More Engagement
Your responses to ads generate new behavioural signals that improve targeting.
More valuable profile
feeds back into
♾️
The Loop
Better Targeting = Higher Ad Prices
More precise profiles command higher CPM. Revenue grows. Investment in keeping you on-platform grows.
Self-reinforcing
Annual advertising revenue per user (2024)
📘
Meta
$227
per user per year
🔍
Google
$168
per user per year
🎵
TikTok
$73
per user per year
What you are worth - and what that means
These figures represent what advertisers pay to reach you. The platform's incentive is to maximise that number - which means maximising your time on the platform, maximising the data signals you generate, and maximising the precision of targeting. Your wellbeing is not in that equation.