COM ARTS 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Making Money, Economic Inequality, Network Effect
8 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
What should the main purpose of the internet. Capitalism is turning the interne against democracy. From an instrument of public goods to that that makes companies rich. Capitalism: a dynamic economic system based on private ownership and the maximization of profit. Democracy: system of self-governance based on principles of political equality. Bad for democracy: economic inequality, corporate monopolies, extreme militarism. Good for democracy: free press, open access to info and education, open access to communication. Cyber utopianism: the promise of the internet is that it is open, free, non-hierarchical technology that served the public good. Cyber skepticism: the internet is ruining democracy. Federal communication commission (fcc): formed in 1934 to ensure the airwaves were used for the public goods. 1996 telecommunication acts: added the internet, removed restrictions on media mergers, led to the concentration of mass media internet service providers corps. Network effects: everyone gains if everyone invests, technical standards, cloud computing, patent hording.
