, Columnist
Mark Zuckerberg Should Make Us Pay for Swiping Right
If Facebook really wants to cut its reliance on ads, it needs alternative revenues.
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Facebook Inc.'s push into online dating is an attempt to wed people ever more tightly to the social network. It makes sense given that the sparkle has gone out of the relationship with its 2.1 billion users. But there’s something Mark Zuckerberg could do to make this new Tinder rival even more of a fresh start: charge for it.
At the social media giant's annual developer conference, Zuckerberg said: “We want Facebook to be somewhere where you can start meaningful relationships.” Yet given all the controversy around its treatment of user data, the company is still repairing its own ties with its customer base. Many users still want to see evidence of change before they renew their commitment.