This sounds like the old Marxist argument of Capitalists appropriating (or parasitically leaching) the surplus value of the laborers they employ. But in the ca

This sounds like the old Marxist argument of Capitalists appropriating (or parasitically leaching) the surplus value of the laborers they employ. But in the case of social media, people get paid not only in money but also with attention and status ('likes'). Actually, the vast majority of users aren't getting paid any money. But we're social creatures, and we'll do almost anything for status and attention.