Meta, the company once known as Facebook, is facing an existential crisis in the US courts and it could result in an entirely different social media landscape.
That’s because attorneys in the US are seeking to dismantle Meta’s empire, separating Facebook from Instagram and WhatsApp, all in the name of healthy competition.
But given the myriad network effects that come from having these all integrated, it remains to be seen whether the case can be made that Meta is a monopoly or just really popular – the latter implying it could be displaced at any moment economically speaking by the next big thing.
Of course, there’s the argument that Meta is doing its best to either squash or control the next big thing. Yet that’s an inherent paradox because, if Meta is so skilled as to know, beforehand, what is going to be the next trend that could threaten its dominance then it would ostensibly not face any real threat to its existence and would, instead, be engaging in shrewd investments as any other investor is allowed to do. That’s because smart investors don’t view opportunities as threats and if Meta has developed such a crystal ball then that might be the company’s real moneymaker and social media a side project.
In other words, there is no huge technical barrier preventing competition from arising in the social media space, only scale, and it is this unique aspect of the industry that has people asking whether the old rules apply (and whether Instagram and WhatsApp would be as popular as they are without the spillover from Facebook).
As PetaPixel notes, Meta’s major defense comes in the form of the fact that not only are there other options out there but also some, like TikTok, give Meta’s platforms more than a run for their money.
Any thoughts on Meta as a whole or in parts are welcome in the comments.
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