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That analogy makes sense. So the discussion should be around what makes Facebook as important as e.g. electric power. Personally, I think Facebook is more like
by jpttsn 9y ago
That analogy makes sense. So the discussion should be around what makes Facebook as important as e.g. electric power.
Personally, I think Facebook is more like a lottery or a tabloid than it is like electric power. Citizens are fine, nay, better off without it.
Most arguments e.g. ITT fail to convince me on the critical-ness of Facebook/Google. Instead, the possible harm they cause is brought forward. That's a serious issue, but I don't think it has bearing on the utility analogy.
- kiliantics 9y agoGoogle is undeniably important to people. And mainly because they've squeezed themselves into every part of our online lives. Facebook is less so, though it has become a platform that many businesses rely on.
- jpttsn 9y agoIt becomes less clearly undeniable once we separate Google into its constituent parts, though. Is search a utility? How about email? Webmaster tools for SEM? WiFi thermostats? It seems unfair to blanket classify Google's offerings as utilities, if many of their products and services are just also-rans. Again, the concentration of power and the strong competitive position of Google can be problems in themselves, whether or not the products are utilities.
- bsder 9y agoFor certain pieces I certainly can make really good arguments. For example, I can certainly argue that YouTube is a problem. Google effectively uses search to subsidize YouTube. This chokes off any competitor to YouTube as they simply cannot afford the bandwidth costs (YouTube was hemorrhaging money when Google bought it). If you forced YouTube to stand on its own, you might actually get some competition to it.
- unityByFreedom 9y ago> Google is undeniably important to people. And mainly because they've squeezed themselves into every part of our online lives. Facebook is less so, though it has become a platform that many businesses rely on. But both of these are free. I don't see how comparing these to the expense of early electric power makes sense. Title II classification for ISPs is currently under threat and surprisingly not the focus of this article. In fact, the article doesn't mention net neutrality or title II classification once. It is odd that it discusses "platform" monopolies without mentioning "broadband" monopolies. Facebook and Google only charge fees if you want to advertise through them. And, it is pretty cheap unless you're trying to control a nationwide or worldwide narrative.