Part 6/9:
Prices increase, targeting becomes less reliable, and an already fragile balance is maintained only by the platform’s ability to keep users and advertisers tethered. But this balance is precarious; it can shatter with a single scandal—a mass shooting livestream or a major privacy breach—that triggers mass defection. Panic selling by shareholders and investors ensues, prompting what's known in tech circles as pivoting—a strategic shift or rebranding to stem decline.