Week 3- David

After reading Network Effects vs. Switching Costs, I believe we all owe a big thank you to Tim Berns Lee for gifting us with the world wide web. The history of the internet seems to be one made of users who wanted to make things not only easier, but more accessible for other users. Gopher was the first step. As the internet evolved, so did PC’s. IBM, Microsoft, even Pheonix (which I had never heard of) joined in on the growing industry.

I grew up with a computer but did not have internet until I was about twelve. These days, it seems almost impossible to get around anywhere without the internet in your pocket. Everyone is glued to their phones and now people use laptops in libraries or take notes on their tablets. Thirty years ago, this was a vision- a dream! It is a shame these tech giants absorb everything we do. It is not just about absorbing and storing our data, it is about all the money we spend on these electronics too. They will never go away at this rate. They are a necessary evil.

Of course, these companies are going to abuse an opportunity. Apple takes advantage of some of its workers- why would it not take advantage of its customers? Facebook is toxic already, but after reading about their appetite for control and our private data, it seems extremely unsafe. We are getting closer to 1984 every day. Is it that difficult to let tech giant’s customers enjoy these apps freely without being watched? It is like walking down the street and constantly being watched. They made it so that we have no choice but to be followed. If we want to enjoy the internet, we have to be content with being stalked and observed.

Eichorn makes valid points on what exactly is content. The Instagram egg was something I had never heard of, but it was a good example of what we should consider when talking about the topic. It was also interesting to read about the content industry and the types and classifications that help drive the industry. I think that as the internet evolved, so did the content industry. Both were user-created, and these industries were bound to become what they are today because they were made by us. I don’t see it changing either. There is so much online content that these companies will continue to supply the content industry. It is only getting bigger and bigger.