Communications of the ACM
Category Killers of the Internet Are Significantly Reducing Online Diversity
New research shows that the variety of online players is shrinking rapidly.
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A multi-institutional team of Australian researchers has found the diversity of online players is declining, although the Internet continues to grow along with functional and geographic opportunities.
The large-scale longitudinal study measured the distribution of attention given in the online environment to competing organizations going back 15 years, and showed that a small number of competitors are likely to gain control of each functional market segment.
Between 60% and 70% of all attention on key social media platforms in different market segments is concentrated on just 10 popular domains, according to the study.
The University of New South Wales Sydney's Paul X. McCarthy said the Internet "is now becoming a medium that actually stifles competition, promotes monopolies, and the dominance of a small number of players."
From University of New South Wales Sydney Newsroom
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