We're all pretty familiar with Wikipedia's funding model, or at least the basic idea: the site runs periodic fundraising drives and manages to get by without the presence of ads.
But what about sites like Facebook and Twitter? Obviously these companies aren't going to switch to donation models any time soon, but as a thought experiment, would it be possible? And should we be pushing companies to move in this direction?
Every time a new platform arises, there's always talk about monetization. But why is this the default assumption? Certain elements of society are recognized as existing for the greater good and aren't operated for profits (for example, public libraries). If we think about social networks as a space for civic engagement, a digital public sphere, it raises the question of whether these spaces should be commercialized at all; perhaps they should be operated like libraries, funded with public money or donations and free of the informational noise introduced by advertisements.
Maybe such a viewpoint is overly idealistic and ultimately unworkable, but I'm a bit troubled by this automatic assertion that web platforms should be profit-maximized, rather than viewed as public utilities to promote discourse and the flow of information. Does anyone have any thoughts on the matter?