These costs are paid by users individually and society as a whole in four areas

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In short, Facebook offers no apologies for the massive psychological experiment among users. And Sandberg implicitly states that this kind of research “is standard practice at Facebook without prior approval,” according to McNamee. The author then peppers his argument with numerous examples of Facebook’s culture of apologies, which dates back to its founding at Harvard in 2004. His conclusion is that the platform’s motto might better be: ‘ move fast, break things, apologize, and try again ’.

The 'costs' of platforms
Using the platforms of Facebook, Google and Twitter is free. At least, that's how it seems, because the well-known adage applies here: 'if you don't pay, you are the product'. McNamee also makes it plausible that use also entails more or less hidden costs. He relates this to the Cambridge Analytica scandal surrounding the American presidential elections of 2015.

“Facebook is not just a platform; it has become central to our lives. As consumers, we crave convenience. We crave connection. We love free. Facebook offers all three in a compelling package that’s surprising and rewarding enough to keep us coming back daily, if not more. […] convenience and connection on Facebook may not come with a price tag, but they don’t come free. The downstream costs are significant but not apparent until something goes wrong, which it has done with alarming frequency since Facebook’s founding in 2014.”


1. Privacy
In several leaks and scandals, including Cambridge Analytica in 2015, the personal data of millions of users has been exposed and misused. Furthermore, internet platforms claim ownership of both that personal information and the meta-information. ( Also check out this video from DuckDuckGo about Facebook and Google and privacy .)

2. (Mental) health
Users become addicted to the platforms (think 'fear of missing out'). They are drawn into filter bubblesphone number library and manipulated there with inflammatory and deceitful content. They use the platforms less consciously and longer than they might want, etc.

3. Democracy
The influence of inflammatory and sometimes downright false content in the news feed and groups on Facebook makes people connect more and more strongly with their own group at the expense of others. They then also show this in the voting booth by either not voting or choosing more extreme options. Examples of this would be the election of Trump and the Brexit referendum.

4. Economy
The sheer scale of platform giants like Facebook and Google means that they first discourage potential competition and then buy up potentially successful ones ( although Facebook recently backed out of a takeover of Houseparty ). This stifles innovation and makes (inter)national economies increasingly dependent on these platforms.