[s3r3nity]

> It's clear that social networks create almost no individual utility at all...

That's a broad statement. I find a lot of utility in social networks like FB to keep me in close contact with my family on the other side of the country.

Yes I value the fact that it's free - there's a low barrier for folks in my family to join. There's no way in hell I'm going to convince my grandmother to pay for a social network; she has no interest in yet another subscription that offers no marginal value over the free services like FB or even Twitter.

Well...she _might_ if that was the _only_ way to contact me, but I personally wouldn't put her through the hassle of memorizing yet another account/password login.