Is the Internet encouraging monopolies?
The Internet is dominated by giant companies that cover the planet; Facebook, Amazon, Google, Ebay.
Big tends to become bigger, search engines increase the popularity of what is already popular. Everything else is quickly squeezed out. Is this an inevitable trend?
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I guess you weren’t around with Standard Oil, U.S. Steel or fur trade in the USA (John Jacob Astor 1780’s).
Each era has a different evolving growth area in economics that people capitalize on.
Google only has 12% of search in China according to Wikipedia. And Google has done a pretty good job of pissing off loyal users recently with all the G+ crap. I deleted my Google account and I have helped a few people move away from gmail. It is fairly easy for people to switch online services. All it takes is pissing off enough people and having a good enough alternative.
Remember MySpace?
It’s encouraging small start-ups. If I lost my job tomorrow I’d be setting myself up a small business online ASAP.
The major monopolies (or, at most, duopolies) to worry about on the Internet are the telecoms who are trying to shut down people’s access to services they can’t control. They tend to be giant entertainment and media companies that want to control both access and content. Who can start an ISP anymore?
AT&T is up to some serious fucking evil.
I think problems with monopolies and oligopolies have been around for a long long time. I don’t know if I would say the internet makes it worse. The internet makes comparing competitors easier I think? Instead of just relying on what is local, or the best known brands and companies.
” Is the Internet encouraging monopolies? ”...
No.. The monopolies are encouraged by the internet (more ways to spread out and prosper) not the internet’s fault, only the fault of toads and user sharks taking advantage of the net.
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