Thoughts that were duct taped to my cerebrum

the monopoly that isn’t

Some definitions of monopoly:

1. A situation where a single firm or individual produces and sells the entire output of some good or service available in a market without competition. (AAA Resources).

2. Exclusive control or possession of something (WordNet).

3. Exclusive control of the trade in a certain product (Syvum).

4. The domination of a market by a single company. More frequently in contemporary capitalism, monopolies over specific markets are held not by a single company but by a group of companies acting together to standardise [sic] technologies and techniques, and to fix prices. Mature markets… tend to be dominated by between three to five major companies; newer markets may be very open… or they may be dominated for some time by a single company… Monopolies are frowned on because they are said to stifle innovation, and to prevent new competitors from entering the market and perhaps lowering prices (Some Page Somewhere).

5. The opposite of perfect competition, a market or industry in which only one firm produces a product for which no close substitutes exist (Econguru).

A looong looong time ago (and several times since then) I had the opportunity to explain to one of my friends just why exactly I don’t have a Facebook account, and won’t ever be getting one. The fact is, I’m not allowed to have one, and I’m perfectly fine with that. Anyone who asks will get an honest answer - “My parents won’t let me” - and i’m not about to whine over it. If I had a Facebook, I would get nothing else done. Since I already get almost nothing done, I don’t see how having a Facebook could help me any. It would also just give me one more thing to get a guilt trip over on those rare occasions where I have a life and don’t have the time to update it or whatever it is you do on Facebook (I actually do know what you do on Facebook, I just don’t know what it’s called when you do it. Facebooking?)

However, once upon a time (and several times thereafter) a friend with a sense of humor said something about their Facebook account and how I should go see it/get my own. I told them the truth, and then added, “Plus, I can’t conform to such a social monopoly” (just for effect).

Since then, I have been debating whether Facebook really is a social monopoly. Based on the definitions above, I think it could be. However, someone not of my opinion could easily say the definitions oppose my idea. It really is all in how you look at it (monopoly is in the eye of the beholder too, apparently). So I thought I’d share my own perspective with you, my bloggy friends, and then you guys can argue with me in the comment section later. Woot!

Facebook is free to join, so the actual monetary part of marketing and economics obviously doesn’t apply. Some of the principles of market and economics, though, still work. First of all, Facebook’s closest competitor in the social networking world is probably Myspace. Lately, Myspace has become increasingly uncool compared to Facebook. After all, Facebook is supposed to be way safer, more fun, more modern, and just plain more hip, while Myspace has been reduced to a website where 14-year old girls can meet creepy old guys. (An old, almost dead shopping mall makes a great Myspace vs. Facebook analogy. Yes, it is a mall. But why not go to the new mall instead? They have the same stores, plus more, and in a better part of town.) Myspace isn’t completely dead yet since you can still have a page without being ridiculed and there are those who actually still use it routinely, but most of your friends all have Facebooks now and their Myspaces are gathering dust. To be in on the happenin’ scene, you have to join Facebook too. (This is an almost perfect illustration of that famous saying, “if all your friends jumped off a cliff…” but that is kind of beside the point).

Although there are plenty of other social networking sites and some have seen some glory in the past 10 years, Facebook currently has the blessing of gazillions of teenagers and young adults everywhere, something not necessarily hard-earned but definitely important to success. This is a parallel to having access to a product no one else can quite get their hands on. This creates demand, and Facebook - no one else - has a limitless supply. Facebook also has more power than it did at the start simply because people have become addicted to online social networking. What would people do to keep their Facebook profiles now that they’ve had a good long taste test, I wonder? What if social security numbers were required for registration, but using the site was still free? How about if the owners of the site started charging by the month to keep your profile online? Who knows how much influence they wield now that they have a good strong “consumer” base? If they raised the price to be unfair or risky but yet no one else could satisfy demand, Facebook wouldn’t keel over instantly. People would pay the price just to be cool, because being cool is a necessary part of survival for the modern teen, not just an accessory. Sounds like a monopoly to me!

But, now that I’ve presented my point, allow me to completely contradict myself. (Here is where the irony begins. My favorite.)

Thanks to the activities that Facebook advocates/provides, it really can’t be a monopoly after all. For starters, my experience illustrates that even people without a Facebook can be sucked into a competitive mindset - not having an account is considered losing the battle, yet so is not convincing your buddy Joe to join if you already have. Then there are the games that win you points, the sad conflicts caused by adding and deleting online friends, the posting of things with underlying malicious intent, and the joining of groups which could get you ousted from your former cushion of popularity. In short, not many can argue against the site’s ability to cause rifts between buddies, co-workers, and even family members. With so much tough social competition, to describe Facebook as a monopoly would be an oxymoron. After all, monopolies are supposed to eliminate competition, not breed it.

So, I guess I was half wrong. If I were to join Facebook, I could do so without accusing it of being a monopoly. However, I still am not allowed to join - that part I got right. Y’all should be glad, because if I did have one, I wouldn’t have any spare time for my blog.

Alicia <3

Tags: company, competition, Facebook, monopoly, Myspace, networking, online, social, social networking, website

recent internet epiphanies

Yesterday, i found a strictly amazing mini Rolleiflex Digital Camera online. At the time i just thought it was peculiar, because i didn’t know what a genuine Rolleiflex was. But now i have been enlightened! and it’s still peculiar. Maybe one day i shall buy one, out of sheer curiosity and amazement. Anyways, the information i retained was that (a) the Rolleiflex was invented in Germany around 1920, and (b) there is not a celebrity in Hollywood who has not been photographed with one. i don’t know if that last part is true or not, but it definitely wouldn’t shock me considering that they are supposedly great portrait cameras.

Secondly, i found a pinhole camera on the same website. Which i thought was just classic. We’re selling pinhole cameras… Online… how (you guessed it) ironic.

THEN, something amazing happened. an entire world of amazing USB thingiemabobbers opened up before my eyes! first, there was the USB vacuum. Then there was a USB fan that actually like fans things! Not to mention the Mini Amplifier Speaker for your laptop…

outside of the USB and technology world, there were these Trompe L’Oeil rug things that i REALLY like…

is there a career that involves surfing the web all day and being more and more excited by each strange find? because i would SO rock at that.

Alicia <3

P.S. if you’re lucky, tomorrow i might stop babbling about stuff i find online and delve into the comic subject of how Communism is permeated with Satanistic thinking. i learned about it today in Government and Economics and my brain is flying all over the place, so by tomorrow i might actually have something interesting to say about it.

Tags: camera, mini, photography, pinhole camera, Rollei, Rolleiflex, rug, trompe l'oeil, usb, website