--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only hope for social networking sites…" description: "\"“The only hope for social networking sites from a business point of view is for a magic formula to appear in which some method of violating privacy and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/jaron-lanier-2241_business_the-only-hope-for-social-networking-site_1428403.jpg" --- # The only hope for social networking sites from a business… ![“The only hope for social networking sites from a business point of view is for a magic formula to appear in which some method of violating privacy and dignity becomes acceptable.” quote by Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/jaron-lanier-2241_business_the-only-hope-for-social-networking-site_1428403.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/jaron-lanier-2241_business_the-only-hope-for-social-networking-site_1428403.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/jaron-lanier-2241_business_the-only-hope-for-social-networking-site_1428403.jpg) > ““The only hope for social networking sites from a business point of view is for a magic formula to appear in which some method of violating privacy and dignity becomes acceptable.”” [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The business model of social media depends on exploiting user data, which is ethically problematic and unsustainable. **In simple terms:** Social media profit from privacy breaches. Key Takeaway Demand ethical business models. Themes privacy ethics business technology society Mood concerned critical serious Type analytical critical When to use this quote - policy making - product design - consumer advocacy - media regulation Key Concepts surveillance capitalism user consent digital rights Questions to Reflect On - How can companies profit without violating privacy? - What alternatives exist to data-driven revenue? A Different Perspective Changing user expectations may limit data exploitation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Cybersecurity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybersecurity/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Magic Formula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic-formula-2415249/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) [Privacy Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privacy-dignity-2509003/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Sites Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sites-business-5078210/) [Social networking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-networking/) [Social networks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-networks/) [Twitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twitter/) [Violating Privacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violating-privacy-3676066/) [Web](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/web/) ## Related quotes > [In some cases, companies may think it's worth the cost of doing business to risk violating privacy laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lina-khan/in-some-cases-companies-may-think-it-s-worth-the-cost-of-doing/) [Lina Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lina-khan/) > [“These examples and many others demonstrate an alarming trend whereby the privacy and dignity of our citizens is being whittled away by sometimes imperceptible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/these-examples-and-many-others-demonstrate-an-alarming-trend-whereby/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [ The privacy and dignity of our citizens \[are\] being whittled away by sometimes imperceptible steps. Taken individually, each step may be of little consequence.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-privacy-and-dignity-of-our-citizens-are-being-whittled-away-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Thou shalt not follow someone, merely because they are following you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/thou-shalt-not-follow-someone-merely-because-they-are-following-you/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“The internet in general and social networking sites in particular are making people more reclusive than social.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharanya-haridas/the-internet-in-general-and-social-networking-sites-in-particular-are/) [Sharanya Haridas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharanya-haridas/) > [Social networking platforms drove man closer to those in neighboring continents, while driving him further apart from those in his neighborhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/social-networking-platforms-drove-man-closer-to-those-in-neighboring/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Thou shalt not use the 140 characters limit as an excuse for bad grammar and/or incorrect spelling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/thou-shalt-not-use-the-140-characters-limit-as-an-excuse-for-bad/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“This is what made the difference, they used social networking for entertainment and I used it for business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/this-is-what-made-the-difference-they-used-social-networking-for/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [To leave a man's ego bigger, retweet him. To leave his faculty of reasoning better, challenge his tweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/to-leave-a-man-s-ego-bigger-retweet-him-to-leave-his-faculty-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Social networking platforms made it unnecessary to know people to know people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/social-networking-platforms-made-it-unnecessary-to-know-people-to/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“now it’s computers and more computers and soon everybody will have one, 3-year-olds will have computers and everybody will know everything about everybody else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/now-it-s-computers-and-more-computers-and-soon-everybody-will-have/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“Did you know that using social media can actually help you to increase your level of thinking?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/did-you-know-that-using-social-media-can-actually-help-you-to/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [“If you are on social media, and you are not learning, not laughing, not being inspired or not networking, then you are using it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/if-you-are-on-social-media-and-you-are-not-learning-not-laughing-not/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [“Before social networking platforms, people needed to know you to know your name. Today, people only need to know your name to know you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/before-social-networking-platforms-people-needed-to-know-you-to-know/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“The longer a person's twitter @username is, the harder it is to argue with them … on twitter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/the-longer-a-person-s-twitter-username-is-the-harder-it-is-to-argue/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## More by Jaron Lanier > [If we allow our self-congratulatory adoration of technology to distract us from our own contact with each other, then somehow the original agenda has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/if-we-allow-our-self-congratulatory-adoration-of-technology-to/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Individual web pages as they first appeared in the early 1990s had the flavour of person-hood. MySpace preserved some of that flavour, though a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/individual-web-pages-as-they-first-appeared-in-the-early-1990s-had/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Style used to be an interaction between the human soul and tools that were limiting. In the digital era, it will have to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/style-used-to-be-an-interaction-between-the-human-soul-and-tools-that/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [We should talk about the ultimate cause of war. It's a question we should never stop asking, because if we do, there's a chance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/we-should-talk-about-the-ultimate-cause-of-war-it-s-a-question-we/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [There is nothing more gray, stultifying, or dreary than life lived inside the confines of a theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/there-is-nothing-more-gray-stultifying-or-dreary-than-life-lived/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [“There are at least two ways to believe in the idea of quality. You can believe there's something ineffable going on within the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/there-are-at-least-two-ways-to-believe-in-the-idea-of-quality-you-can/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [An intelligent person feels guilty for downloading music without paying the musician, but they use this free-open-culture ideology to cover it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/an-intelligent-person-feels-guilty-for-downloading-music-without/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [“What these critics forget is that printing presses in themselves provide no guarantee of an enlightened outcome. People, not machines, made the Renaissance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/what-these-critics-forget-is-that-printing-presses-in-themselves/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [There were studies that asked people in different cultures to draw pictures of their enemies, and the pictures all looked remarkably the same. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/there-were-studies-that-asked-people-in-different-cultures-to-draw/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [“Zombies are familiar characters in philosophical thought experiments. They are like people in every way except they have no internal experience… If there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/zombies-are-familiar-characters-in-philosophical-thought-experiments/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [We're losing track of the vastness of the potential for computer science. We really have to revive the beautiful intellectual joy of it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/we-re-losing-track-of-the-vastness-of-the-potential-for-computer/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Of all the things you can spend a lot of money on, the only things you expect to fail frequently are software and medicine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/of-all-the-things-you-can-spend-a-lot-of-money-on-the-only-things-you/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [ At the turn of the \[21st\] century it was really Sergey Brin at Google who just had the thought of, well, if we give… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/at-the-turn-of-the-21st-century-it-was-really-sergey-brin-at-google/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [The mass culture of childhood right now is astonishingly technical. Little kids know their Unix path punctuation so they can get around the Web,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/the-mass-culture-of-childhood-right-now-is-astonishingly-technical/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Wal-Mart impoverished its own customer base. Google is facing exactly the same issue long-term, although not yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/wal-mart-impoverished-its-own-customer-base-google-is-facing-exactly/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) [Explore all 173 Jaron Lanier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The only hope for social networking sites from a business point of view is for a magic formula to appear in which some method of violating privacy and dignity becomes acceptable.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jaron Lanier" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/the-only-hope-for-social-networking-sites-from-a-business-point-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/the-only-hope-for-social-networking-sites-from-a-business-point-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/jaron-lanier-2241_business_the-only-hope-for-social-networking-site_1428403.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/jaron-lanier-2241_business_the-only-hope-for-social-networking-site_1428403.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/jaron-lanier-2241_business_the-only-hope-for-social-networking-site_1428403.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only hope for social networking sites from a business point of view is for a magic formula to appear in…” — Jaron Lanier", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jaron Lanier", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The only hope for social networking...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/the-only-hope-for-social-networking-sites-from-a-business-point-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/the-only-hope-for-social-networking-sites-from-a-business-point-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```