Dead Internet Theory and GOOGLE again.

The dead Internet theory holds that Google is guilty of thwarting competition in the global digital market by limiting access to information. This position can be crystallized by the contention that Google is using its global internet monopoly to limit and control access to information. Through its range of products and services, Google is able to quiet any competition by limiting the sources of information that people can get access to. Thus, Google’s products and services, such as its search engine, are able to become the gatekeepers of knowledge available to people across the world (Elmquist, 2010).

The Google monopoly manifests itself in various ways. In the search engine realm, for instance, Google places its own products and services higher in the hierarchy of search results. This affords greater visibility to these products, thus making it more difficult for other search engine services to gain market share (Kollamsi & Alcockm 2015). Furthermore, Google’s ability to collect and store data, as well as its sophisticated capacity to process and utilize this data makes it difficult for other companies to compete. This capacity to manipulate data is also evident in the way Google is able to favor certain businesses, websites, and services over others.

The challenge that the dead internet theory poses is what implications this monopoly might have for the internet as a whole. The global internet should be a platform that is accessible to all, where people can freely access and share information, exchange ideas, and research topics of interest (Cuthbertson, 2016). The fact that Google is limiting access to certain forms of knowledge and services can create a digital divide in terms of digital fluency and knowledge, thus potentially rolling back the digital rights of individuals across the globe.

The dead Internet theory highlights an important issue: the impact of monopolies on the global digital market. Despite the potential for a more equitable global digital platform, without controls on monopolistic practices, the gatekeeper role that Google has come to occupy can limit the accessibility of information and services to people worldwide, and in particular, the most vulnerable and marginalized communities. 

References

Cuthbertson, A. (2016, February 8). Is Google Stifling Internet Choice? Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35504937.

Elmquist, S. (2010). Google: Lawfully Guilty of an Internet Monopoly? Iowa Law Review, 95(2), 721-746.

Kollamsi, L., & Alcock, S. (2015). The Impact of Google’s Search Market Monopoly. Case Western Reserve Law Review, 65(4), 1003-1034.