Tech Companies as Utilies

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Newjak
So with big tech companies like Google, FB, and Amazon and their services becoming more engrained in every day life for Americans who thinks these items should classified more as utilities?

Do think some or all of them should be utilities? If so which ones fit into the category?

snowdragon
Originally posted by Newjak
So with big tech companies like Google, FB, and Amazon and their services becoming more engrained in every day life for Americans who thinks these items should classified more as utilities?

Do think some or all of them should be utilities? If so which ones fit into the category?

This is a really good topic, I don't have a cut and dry answer. FB and Google for sure amazon probably not.

Robtard
Originally posted by Newjak
So with big tech companies like Google, FB, and Amazon and their services becoming more engrained in every day life for Americans who thinks these items should classified more as utilities?

Do think some or all of them should be utilities? If so which ones fit into the category?

What would making them classified as "utilities" mean? They'd still be private I assume? More regulation?

-Pr-
Originally posted by Newjak
So with big tech companies like Google, FB, and Amazon and their services becoming more engrained in every day life for Americans who thinks these items should classified more as utilities?

Do think some or all of them should be utilities? If so which ones fit into the category?

God no. The internet itself? Yes, definitely. Nowadays everyone should have access to decent broadband.

Actual tech companies, though? No.

Newjak
Originally posted by Robtard
What would making them classified as "utilities" mean? They'd still be private I assume? More regulation? Generally it means more regulations also it's supposed to be more fair use.

I should have also added if you don't utilities do you think there should be a government ran substitute for people to use?

ilikecomics
No, nothing should be imo.

If they become utilities they will have far less incentive to be accountable.

Keep them private, so when people don't get value out of them they topple.
Make them a utility and they'll never go away, regardless of if they're an overall good or overall bad.

Robtard
Originally posted by Newjak
Generally it means more regulations also it's supposed to be more fair use.

I should have also added if you don't utilities do you think there should be a government ran substitute for people to use?

Still don't know, as no one is forced to use Google, Amazon or FB, there are still alternatives if you don't like their practices. I could it if there was a monopoly, but I don't think any of those three have that right now, right?

Newjak
Originally posted by Robtard
Still don't know, as no one is forced to use Google, Amazon or FB, there are still alternatives if you don't like their practices. I could it if there was a monopoly, but I don't think any of those three have that right now, right? You could probably make the argument they may not be textbook monopolies but they are effective monopolies because of their market share and how tech works.

Something like 92% of searches done on the internet on done using Google.

Facebook has a 62% market share in social media.

Amazon has a 50% market share for e-commerce.

And the thing about technology is because they are all online there is no incentive to switch off of them and their high market share in some cases actually allows them to dominate their markets because their product becomes stronger the more users they have especially in the case of social media.

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