ABSTRACT
The relationship between corporate influence and global social media exists on two levels: within the social media environment and the social media entities in relation to the outside environment. This chapter examines the often hidden corporate monetization strategies, in contrast to the visible localization strategies, that both MySpace and Facebook have implemented. As the global social media neither generate income from subscriptions nor charge membership fees, these strategies aim to create profit from the gathering and commercial use of data on their users. By utilizing various forms of surveillance technology, the services aim to create an online milieu in which users and communities are sold to and targeted by advertisers. These efforts are mapped, first from a corporate perspective, and then from the point of view of the music practitioners’ awareness of such strategies and their experience of operating within this commercial environment.
