This section discusses the early history of social networking services, noting the launch of platforms like Friendster, MySpace, LinkedIn, and later Facebook and YouTube, and how their purposes evolved over time.

For age, I would store it as an integer with range constraints (e.g., 0–120) and allow users to opt out (“prefer not to say”). I would avoid storing birthdate unless absolutely necessary because it increases privacy risk. Even with constraints, age data can be inaccurate due to misreporting and can enable profiling or harm to minors, so in many cases an age range is a safer representation than an exact age.

Images, sounds, videos, and dates require complex representations that simplify reality; choices such as compression and time zone definitions shape what data we see and how we interpret social media activity, raising ethical concerns about accuracy, context, and fairness.

From a utilitarian perspective, IAC’s decision to dismiss Justine can be understood as an attempt to minimize overall harm and protect the company’s public image. Firing her helped calm public outrage and maintain consumer trust, which benefits a larger group of stakeholders. However, this case also shows a limitation of utilitarianism: the severe consequences for one individual may be justified too quickly in the name of collective benefit, especially when online outrage escalates rapidly.