> What is "consumer surplus"? By this do the authors mean the total benefit to FB users? It's a concept from welfare economics (economic benefit at an aggregat

> What is "consumer surplus"? By this do the authors mean the total benefit to FB users? It's a concept from welfare economics (economic benefit at an aggregate level). Consumer surplus is the excess benefit a consumer receives from purchasing a good (willingness to pay - price paid). For example, if you're willing to pay $100 annually to use Facebook, and you actually pay $0, then the consumer surplus would be $100.