Worth checking out Aral Balkan's RSA video 'Free is a lie'
I recommend Balkan's more recent version of that talk, "You Are The Product". In particular, he has a much more in-depth analysis of the business model and startup culture ("digital imperialism").
(the talks by DJB and Appelbaum on that page are also very good)
edit:
look at all the downvotes. Does it make the cognitive dissonance go away?
down votes for me, signals I should re-read the post again :)
There are some folks on here who don't like hearing this kind of stuff but can't (or can't be bothered to) articulate why.
Is the idea that your comment is off topic?