Forget data. Free labor is Facebook's lifeblood

Chances are, you work for Facebook. 

You probably don't have an office or an ID card. And you almost certainly don't get paid. But if you're one of the 239 million Americans who use the platform each month, your work is as valuable as a coder's. Maybe more. Your clicks, likes, and posts keep content circulating, users scrolling, and data streaming into algorithms used to serve you ads. Leave, and the platform crumbles. 

The Cambridge Analytica scandal has driven away some users — mostly those troubled by how Facebook harvests personal information. But don't forget that Facebook takes something else from you, too: your labor. Read more...