Thanks for this Shane. I’ve been talking about and writing about this for a few years and am met with shocked stares or complete dismissal.
Yes, we are controlled by two companies due to their algorithms and popularity. I have been writing about filter bubbles for years and the need to find alternative channels. It was the reason for my latest company (that started its life as Digital Fan Clubs as a way of giving people with large fan and customer bases a way to reach their audience when FB stopped allowing them access to their email addresses) and recently pivoted into a new market (same technology, and became trellyz).
FB and google, and probably Amazon and others need to be broken up like AT&T so many years ago. But there are so many people who should know why this monopoly break up happened, but they are too young to remember the origins of the baby Bells. I talk about how these unelected giants are controlling our access to information with young people in tech and at best they don’t believe me, but for many it is blasphemy. And yet we need them to come up with alternatives. It is not conspiracy theory to realize how a few people (Larry, Sergey, Mark and Jeff) can influence (control) voting, thinking, access to information, and even shopping.
I hope we get some rebellion going and entrepreneurial energy to solving these problems. You now have a new fan. Keep writing, and I’ll keep spreading the word in channels where I do have some control. We, trellyz, are solving part if the problem — LifeSpots (our new app) gives people access to information about what services are near them that are provided by nonprofits and local governments. Our new app and platform can live outside if Google and Facebook, and as a mobile app promoted and distributed by nonprofits and local governments, will democratise access to services and information. There is network effect. I’m sure there are many other great startup ideas out there that too will help bring down, or cut down the size, of these monoliths.
