Repercussions
Repercussions of such a monopolistic activity are many. With complete control of the Internet there will be no competition. As a result, the growth of technology will be limited and innovation will decline. And as Microsoft obtains complete control they will be able to control all future standards of the Internet. Many fear that Microsoft’s plan once they have complete control is to charge for many features of the Internet that were once free. Specifically, Microsoft will charge for every transaction made over the Internet that uses Microsoft’s technology. Additionally, software that now is free (Internet Explorer) will be sold for profit when competitors no longer exist. Microsoft will be able to do this because there will be no one to stop them from doing so. What was once the online super highway will become a toll road. Furthermore, by charging for Internet usage "the goal of making information flow more democratic, breaking down power hierarchies, and circumventing information monopolies" will not be reached, but rather will continue to develop (Iacono and Kling 1996).
Social Outlook
What does allowing these business tactics teach society and the rest of the business community? It seems that we would be telling people that it is okay for us to be this way¾ to unfairly hinder others for our personal gain. There are already enough people who will do most anything for self-benefit; do we need to further encourage this practice? Certainly, in a capitalistic society these tactics will continue to exist, however they do go against the basis of our societal views and social upbringing. The more we are able to curb these practices, the more stable our economy and society as a whole will be. Our lives will be much more complacent and our trust in other individuals will increase dramatically. Trust is a very important issue in today’s world. Trust is an aspect of relationships that continues to degrade with each new year. It is an issue that penetrates deep into the lives of everyone in our society. This is evident by looking at the statistics of marriages and divorces; the divorce rate continues to increase every year. There are many factors which go into this disturbing divorce rate¾ the erosion of traditional family values, the need for both people to work, the role of modern women to name a few¾ but at its most basic level, the divorce rate is an issue of trust. Somehow at sometime, the couple loses the trust in each other which they had shared so deeply at the time of their marriage.
Access and Democratic Issues
In terms of the future of the Internet and society, access restriction is a crucial issue. Assuming Microsoft has a "hidden agenda" to control the Internet, it is only logical to assume that by controlling the Internet they will not only dictate how information is accessed, but also who can access the information and what information is available. Thus, there will be a great threat to the anarchic freedom of the online experience. Let’s face it, Bill Gates is amazingly intelligent, but his business practices are very questionable. Giving money to software distributors for the purpose of selling Microsoft products and not offering the choice of other products from competitors is not a tactic used to grab a portion of the market; it is a tactic used deliberately and methodically to take complete control of that market.
The Internet was developed to be an open and free medium of communication and information distribution. It, like other communication media, had great potential as a tool for democracy. However, with Microsoft’s intervention it too will fail at this idealistic attempt. Finally, the Internet provided a society in which people could openly discuss pervasive issues without the fear of physical harm or being disrupted by the government. It was chaos because there were no regulations, but there was protection¾ the user always had the option of turning it off. In the physical world chaos would never work because people could physically harm each other and each other’s property, but in the online community chaos has been very successful. There were and still are problems concerning the Internet¾ copyright violations, etc.¾ but the ability to say what one thinks and what one feels is unparalleled in the physical world and other communication media. However, as with most things in society, we are overreacting to the negative actions on the Internet. Pirated materials should not be available on the Internet, but we should not regulate opinions and beliefs. This is the fear that is brought forth when one examines Microsoft; by dominating the Internet they will try to regulate the different forms of information that can be posted on the Internet. Clearly, if this were to happen the social impact would be significant. All of the Internet’s potential and the possibilities it has created such as its ability to break down social barriers (racism and poverty) would be eliminated.
Parallel to Evolution
The entire situation parallels the evolution of life on earth quite well. At first, the living organisms were very simple and there was an abundance of diversity, but all the organisms were very similar. As life evolved, organisms became increasingly more complex and diversity remained abundant. At some point, however, humans became the dominant life form. We now control all other forms of life, clearly deviating from the process of natural selection. Likewise, in the computer Industry, diversity to this point has been solid and products have continually become more complex. Now, Microsoft is threatening to become the dominant company. Not only will diversity of companies be affected, but also evolution of the computer industry. In the long run, the computer industry will suffer in growth because there will be less people creating new and innovative programs, and the dominant company will have no pressure to create new products.
