Google (and Bing and a few others) now determine most of what people can see when they go looking for information online. The reason Google is in this position

Google (and Bing and a few others) now determine most of what people can see when they go looking for information online. The reason Google is in this position is because they have figured out how to most profitably use the content generated by others. As their market share increased and they rolled out more and more products (Adwords, Gmail, Google documents, Google+) they became more effective at presenting ads to us, for their "customers", i.e. their advertisers. Their "product" is us, the punters hitting the big "search" button. Google has become such a dominant force in advertising that it would be inconceivable for any business with any sort of online presence not to have some advertising via Google. I think this is what Mr. Lanier means when he says: "The use of networks can turn you from a local player in a larger system into your own global system." I agree with him. Google has gone from being one of a multitude of search engines about 8 years ago to becoming an eco-system in it's own right; and Mr. Lanier argues (and I concur) that it is ultimately to our detriment.