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If your argument was applied to something like money, the conclusion would be that governments do not have any control over the financial system, because anyone

If your argument was applied to something like money, the conclusion would be that governments do not have any control over the financial system, because anyone can chose to barter and anyone can chose to break the law. >What Facebook and Google have is massive, large scale user loyalty. Google has effective control of web standards. Edit: Also, the podcast directly addresses your comment. In fact, that's what it is about.

dexterdog 8y ago
But FB/Google can't force you to use their systems and enforce that action with an army (yet).
- deleted 8y ago
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- gambler 8y ago
  No one can force you to use money either. You can chose not to partake in any financial transactions and starve to death. According to the logic above, we just established that financial system is 100% voluntary. You can chose not to ever fly on an airplane. According to the logic above, it's just a convenience. Nevertheless, people generally don't dismiss issues with air travel by saying that you can just chose to drive. In reality, a lot of the systems you think are essential to your day-to-day life are technically opt-in. Except you cannot opt-out without cutting yourself off from the society. Also, societies are not established by armies. They are established by social conventions with enough clout to become self-sustaining. The Internet was originally established in a way that was very different from the current version of an offline society with its hyper-centralization and authorities. But the consolidation of services and infrastructure significantly changed that model.