"If It's Free, You're the Product"

When people become users they become means to an end.

It is often said that if the internet product or service you are using is free, “You are the product.” This quip came up in conversation with a friend recently who watched the new Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, and heard that saying for the first time.

The idea that “if it is free, you’re the product,” is usually used in regard to services like…