The students had no qualms about big companies getting bigger, or favorite sites being gobbled up by synergy-seeking corporations. YouTube, they pointed out, is no worse for having been purchased by Google for $1.65 billion, and in many ways is better because videos come up more easily in searches.
I mentioned a rumor going around that if Microsoft can't have Yahoo, it might make a play for Facebook. The kids had no problem with that -- as long as Microsoft didn't clutter things up with ads. They were adamant on this point. Some ads, OK. Lots of ads, nix.
"Corporations are a good thing," said Jeremy, 15. "But too much of a good thing can be bad."
Generally speaking, big companies don't seem to be viewed with the same suspicion by young people as they once were.
If anything, a heavyweight corporate brand connotes a welcome sense of strength and stability.
"Hippies say corporations are bad, but they never say why they're bad," said Cameron, 15. "Corporations make a profit. What's bad about making a profit?"
If only it were that simple. But I'll let the Loyola lads learn that particular lesson on their own.
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Consumer Confidential runs Wednesdays and Sundays. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
