calls, the whole package—and then expect firms to make good use of it,
but to protect, even ignore, it as well.
Customers, thus far, have indicated that the utility of these
platforms is so great that they are willing to endure substantial risks to
their data and privacy. Safeguards on networks are insufficient—case
in point: Yahoo’s data breaches in 2014 and 2016. Data hacks are now
deeply, inextricably woven into our lives. I use two-step verification
and change my passwords often—I’m told that puts you ahead of
people. But I’m still waiting to meet someone who tells me she no
longer uses a smartphone or Facebook because of privacy concerns. If
you carry a cell phone and are on a social network, you’ve decided to
have your privacy violated, because it’s worth it.
The Benjamin Button Economy
Who are the winners in our algorithmically driven economy? Consider
a graph. On the y axis is the number of people a company reaches.
Facebook and Google, of course, are in the exclusive billion-plus club.
But plenty of other companies, from Walmart to Twitter to the TV
networks, reach hundreds of millions. On that level, they’re
superpowers.