[tvladeck]

I actually find it very insightful, even if it has been repeated a number of times. And repetition hasn't eroded its truth.

At the end of the day, real estate on a screen is means to an end, not the ultimate end itself. The ultimate end is of course money, which is paid by advertisers. The means to an end is more properly viewed as a factor of Google's production than an end itself.

I would distinguish linguistically by saying that I am a user of google's products, but not a customer. A customer pays.