Prophets hail from from unexpected places, in this case the multidisciplinary halls of Microsoft Research.
"We cannot have a society in which if two people wish to communicate, the only way that can happen is if it's financed by a third person who wishes to manipulate them," says Jaron Lanier, founder of the world's first company to sell virtual reality products.
Lanier is referring to the current model of Google and Facebook, which is based on advertising and spying.
Cranks, paranoids, cynics and nihilists rule in a social-media world fueled by advertising, he continues. The mistake we made in the 90s was to adopt the advertising model. At first it was "cute," says Lanier. But now it's killing us.
Lanier suggests we make the switch to individuals paying for their content, just like with TV subscriptions: "Sometimes when you pay for things, things get better."
Facebook and Google are no longer social media companies, he laments. They are "behavioral modification empires." But he professes his love for the people running those companies. "We don't need to punish Silicon Valley. We just need to remake the decision."
If companies won't change, though, Lanier suggests we give them a big nudge: "Delete your accounts."