Networks

This piece was inspired by a chapter from the book “Winners Take All“ by Anand Giridharadas, which really helped to crystallise my thoughts on the matter.

A network is basically an integrated web of nodes, that facilitates communication and information sharing. In recent times, new forms of networks have overwhelmingly been created by technology above all else. These networks span a diverse and wide array of fields. For instance:

• Social: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
• Ride-sharing: Uber, Grab, Lyft
• E-commerce: Amazon, Alibaba, etc. (alternatives may vary in your country)
• Accomodation: Airbnb

A network gives power to its user, by enabling them to have much greater potential reach and influence. Yet, in an almost paradoxical way, entities who control the network have even more power, since they have to authority to decide what users can and cannot do.

They can block or crowd out competitors and cement themselves as a monopoly. A company that both provides a platform for retailers to sell their goods and sells goods of its own can easily control the extent to which each retailer’s products are visible to customers, charge higher prices for a given competitor’s products, or go so far as to remove the product altogether.

They can tailor algorithms that prioritise and feature certain opinions over others, further entrenching existing biases and unfair discrimination. They can propagate misinformation, or spread posts that align with certain corporate or political vested interests.

Networks are crucial to many aspects of our lives in an ever more interconnected world. They help us to achieve economies of agglomeration unlike what we could have ever achieved otherwise. At their best, they help to give a voice to the marginalised and oppressed, provide opportunities for collaboration and sharing ideas, and make the world a more equitable place.

Which is why we cannot let the ownership of such networks lie in the hands of a minority elite, without accounting for the voices and interests of other stakeholders. These networks need to be guided by and operate for public interest. Otherwise, we risk becoming trapped in extractive and manipulative systems, not having a choice in any other alternative.

We each have a role to play in ensuring that the networks we participate in remain open, fair and accessible to all. We need to continuously make these choices in every aspect of our lives. Because if we don’t, someone else will do it for us.