The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires
The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires by Tim Wu. Knopf. 2010. 366 pages. $27.95.
Since the invention of the telephone, every information technology has evolved along a similar trajectory, says Tim Wu, chairman of the media reform organization Free Press, in The Master Switch. He calls this trajectory “The Cycle.”
At first, the technology is an open system that is controlled by no one and subject to extensive innovation by many different developers. Over time, however, one corporation or entity gains exclusive control. Then the technology becomes a “closed system,” and innovation grinds to a halt.
He traces the Cycle as it played out during the twentieth century in film, telecommunications, and broadcast media. Key industry players took over each market, and the outcomes were blander media content, stifled individual expression, and fewer choices for consumers.
The Internet is still an open system, Wu adds. But there are signs that it, too, could fall under centralized control. The consequences would be staggering, given that information industries are integral to almost every aspect of our lives.
Wu advises against aggressive government regulation of information markets. At the same time, he insists that those who develop information, those who own the networks on which it travels, and those who control the tools of information access must all be kept separate from each other. Government must also remain vigilant against excessively large corporate mergers. These basic checks are vital, Wu argues, to prevent any one corporation from becoming the sole arbiter of what consumers see and hear online.
The Master Switch is a provocative thesis on where the Internet has come from and where it is headed. It will interest technology enthusiasts and all who value a vibrant media market.
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