I understand what you're saying and not disagreeing. This
   potential future analogizes well to poor people donating blood
   and getting paid for medical testing. Statistically, it's
   typically college students who need the cash that do these
   things, but regular people also donate as well.

   The analogy to prostitution is also a good one. But there are
   two sides to prostitution. There is the negative, a poorly
   managed business model where the worker gets crappy treatment
   that is abusive, and then there is better business models, where
   prostitutes are offered some protection.

   I would say that Facebook's prostitution of our brainspace is
   akin to the second model.

   Example: This is a screenshot of my page as I saw it a few
   minutes ago. What's that on the side? That's an ad. What's that
   ad talking about?

   Now I'm absorbing it consciously because I make myself aware of
   ads - it's a hobby. But do most people? I don't think they do. I
   think they don't pay DIRECT attention, but indirectly they
   notice.

   Next time they go to the store, they might consider buying that
   product, or suddenly feel like bringing it up in a conversation.

   It's so commonplace, we don't even see it. Is it evil? I don't
   know, although a lot of money is put into industrial
   psychologists - and they're WAY AHEAD in the science compared to
   academics, because money is involved.