Who is interested in social networks?

I've been following news about different IT companies buying another IT companies. Google bought YouTube and Blogger (yeah, this one), eBay bought Skype and so on. But most of the new purchases are in fact the social networks. One can be sceptical about all this, like in the last issue of the Economist:

"And Microsoft and Google now appear tempted to add more froth by investing a silly sum in Facebook, the latest big thing."

It's true that

"All three—the internet telephone firm, the video site and the social network—make almost no money. "

but still, they are valuable since it's information what matters. Social networks are becoming next big thing, that's true, and I think it was Google who was the first one to start collecting data and analysing people's behaviour. You can use this kind of information for the marketing aims for example, but not only. I always feel somehow insecure when I think of all these date being collected about me, even now while I type this message, lots of different bits of data are collected (including my IP address, time, even my thoughts and opinions:) Well, one should be brave enough to speak out without any fear:) That's a challenge of the modern technologies that even if you think you are alone and nobody knows and nobody undestends you, that's not quite true...

To be continued. Bis später!