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Facebook’s political problems stem directly from its size and drive for growth; they are societal issues, not antitrust ones.
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Facebook is under pressure from all sides, but that actually means it has an opportunity to build the platform it has always wanted — in digital ads.
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Snapchat is losing users, and it seems clear the biggest reason is Instagram Stories: that is a win for Facebook, but the pain in advertising may be substantial.
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Facebook is in trouble — again — for Russian ads about the election; figuring out how to deal with them requires first understanding that Facebook, like Google, is a Super-Aggregator. It faces zero transaction costs…
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Facebook gave one of the worst keynotes in a long time: there was no vision, just the adoption of Snap’s. It’s the inevitable outcome of a monopoly.
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Facebook has long had too much power, but Mark Zuckerberg’s expressed willingness to use said power for political ends means it’s time to consider countermeasures.
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Ad Agencies and Accountability
Google is in hot water again, this time for ads placed against objectionable content. However, ad agencies and brands are just as responsible, and can no longer live in the past.
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Tech Morality, Facebook and the BBC, Wikileaks’ CIA Trove
The analysis of technology cannot escape questions of morality, and certainty is dangerous. Plus, the CIA leak, and the difference between exploits and encryption.
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Fake News and Facebook, Filter Bubbles and People, Google’s Featured Snippets Problem
Research says truly fake news isn’t much of a problem; filter bubbles are, but algorithms are less responsible than it seems. That, though, is why Google in particular has a responsibility to do better.
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Facebook’s Incentives and Confirmation Bias, James Allworth: Founders and Motivation, Follow-up
My podcast partner explains why I was mistaken to not oppose Facebook’s power sooner — and I welcome it. Plus, additional follow-up on Manifestos and Monopolies.
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Manifestos and Monopolies
Facebook has long had too much power, but Mark Zuckerberg’s expressed willingness to use said power for political ends means it’s time to consider countermeasures.
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Snap S-1 Follow-up, Facebook Earnings, Hedging the Future of Advertising
From a business perspective, Snapchat isn’t like Apple at all. Then, Facebook further unveils its video strategy, and continues to invest in what may be the future of advertising.
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Snap’s Apple Strategy
Snap plans to win on innovation; we’ve known for 30 years, though, that that is not always enough.
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Inspired Media
The key for products and politicians used to be maximizing paid and earned media. What matters on the Internet, though, is inspired media.
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Twitter/Snapchat/Instagram Follow-up; LINE Earnings; Samsung Batteries, Monopsony Power, Earnings
More evidence of faltering Snapchat growth, and a cautionary tale from LINE. Then, lots of news from Samsung, a company doing much better than most think.
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The Facebook Journalism Project, Why Facebook Fails as a Platform, How Facebook Can Truly Help the Media — and Itself
Facebook has announced the Facebook Journalism Project, which primarily serves to highlight the extent to which Facebook has failed as a platform company.






