Naked Capitalism: Paul Davis says we're not as free as we think

Paul Davis at Technology Investment dot info has this interesting piece over on on Naked Capitalism about the browser war being conducted to control your surfing the Internet.  We're nowhere near as free as we think we are.  He does a good job of explaining how Yahoo and Google are doing it.  Interesting reading, especially with the Olympics coming up.  Here's an excerpt:

"In this insidious arms race the browser (or browsing enabled OS) is the ultimate high ground. Search captures about 50% of internet users each day, but everyone uses a browser. Sneaking in the door as a general purpose tool or service, pretty soon they can begin dictating what you may or may not do or see. Why shouldn't Firefox (or Microsoft, or Apple) release a plug-in or widget this week which will dynamically update the medal counts and serve athlete profiles (and why not video) from some OTHER source which pays them money to do so. Then you won't even need to use a search engine...

I still remember the sense of outrage when Yahoo first began selling the top positions in search results to the highest bidder... it made it that much easier to jump ship when an alternative came along."

Comments

[Quasar9]

Well sometimes we are free
to choose from whatever somebody else decided to put on the shelf.

And it is a self-perpetuating fallacy, the store will continue to sell what is most popular and sells most (or leaves highest profit margin) ...

but this does not necessarily mean it is what most people want, it simply means it is what most people buy in that store from what is on offer in that store.

Imaging Marketing & Branding. Go to a superstore or chain of supermalls, agree exclusivity for your product (if you can) and your product will soon become a best seller.

That's how coke did it, by offering cold drink dispensers to the US military wherever they went.

Of course now there are hundreds of cold drinks brands, and todays economy means they can all have their colourful chilled dispensers - and the big ones (suxh as coke) are still the most popular thru branding, marketing, and the sheer weight of inertia.

Can any other product or cold drink replicate the Coca-Cola story, Nope
Can any other pop star be as well known as Elvis or Michael Jackson, when they are swimming in a sea of competition.

But weight I'm off track.
Did anyone have the freedom to choose which record, CD or DVD they bought first, or did it depend on which DVD was available at the local store, and which song/film had been promoted in their Country (radio/tv) that month.

Always difficult to choose when to release a blockbuster or hit song. Always a better chance of success when there are less movies or songs released on the month you release yours.

Of course a best seller is not necessarily the best film or book. The best seller is simply that the best seller.

[Marsha Keeffer]

Yes, timing is important. And if you're just a small voice in the great Internet, you may have a tough time being heard. The Internet has changed music. Used to be you just took what the record label offered. Now indie bands flourish and develop their own following. Everyone is their own publisher. I couldn't have seen your beautiful photos of constellations before the Internet.