Is Facebook Truly A Monopoly? No More Than Microsoft Was.

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Hey there!

Everything old is new again, isn’t it?

Facebook is the new anti-competitive whipping boy. Everyone from Senator Elizabeth Warren to one of the founders of Facebook are calling for the company to be broken up. It’s too big. It’s a monopoly.

Back in 1998, Microsoft was accused of the same thing (and making it hard for third parties to integrate into the IE browser). Just under two years, and many tax dollars later, they were “split into two companies” with no discernible effect.

And my take on this go-round with Facebook is the same as it was back then: no, neither are monopolies.

If you’re going to accuse Facebook and other tech megacompanies of anything nefarious, make sure your accusations are accurate.

Here’s what I mean.

Hope this helps!

David

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  1. Agreed. Important to be vigilant about the power and influence corporations increasingly wield (and how) over culture, but personal (end user) responsibility is a thing, too.

  2. Government needs to stay out of Corporate America. I agree with you 100% — Nobody is breaking my arm to join Facebook and the like — it’s MY CHOICE.

    I’ve been a MAC user since Apple’s beginning in the 70’s — and am reasonably well-informed in Microsoft use as well. These are NOT monopolies. The Elizabeth Warren’s of the world are just looking for a platform to run on and have no idea what they’re spouting off about.

    My use of these apps or computers remains MY CHOICE — not the Governments.