The negative effects of these design choices are threefold: (1) they stifle innovation; (2) they tax creativity; and (3) they concentrate power and money in the hands of a few. This is especially dangerous when you consider that the killer app of the internet is networks. Most of what people do online involves networks: The web and email are networks. Social apps like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter are networks. Payment apps like PayPal and Venmo are networks. Marketplaces like Airbnb and Uber are networks. Almost every useful online service is a network. (Location 173)
Amazon learns which products in its marketplaces are top sellers and then undercuts their makers with its own cheap basic versions. While physical retailers like Target and Walmart do this all the time with their own version of generic brands alongside name brands, the difference here is that Amazon is not just the store but the infrastructure. It would be as if Target controlled not just its store shelves but also the roads that all stores build on. This is too much control for one corporation to wield. (Location 205)
Big Tech platforms have more than just a home field advantage. They get to rewrite the rules of the entire game for their sole benefit. (Location 219)
Tags: blue
(As they say, “If it’s free, then you’re the product.”) (Location 223)
Tags: pink