I don't think the monetization and business aspect is what makes social media so bad. It's more that they're going about it in the wrong way. You make the com

I don't think the monetization and business aspect is what makes social media so bad. It's more that they're going about it in the wrong way. You make the comparison to AT&T. They charge a lot of money for the service that they provide, and as you mention, they don't do all the shady things that social platforms do. Most other great tech products are provided by businesses. Apple is the prime example of a company that is both (a) massively successful and (b) not hostile to their users' privacy.