Master Switch

The Rise and Fall of Information Empires

by
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Master Switch (2011, Atlantic Books - London)

Published Jan. 1, 2011 by Atlantic Books - London.

ISBN:
9781848879850

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4 stars (1 review)

3 editions

Everything old is new again.

4 stars

If you love reading about "enshittification," buckle in tight, because you're gonna LOVE The Cycle.

Tim Wu presents a comprehensive history of the rise and fall of information industries in the U.S., and illustrates again and again how unchecked corporate power strangles innovation and impedes progress at every turn. He illustrates his theory of "The Cycle" (in which open systems consolidate and then choke competition and disruption) with the development of film, radio, television, and telephone industries. (Reading this book will certainly make you want to dig up some dead white guys and punch them in the face.)

Since this book was published in 2010, I was a little worried that it would be frustratingly out of date. It's not; the history is solid, his theories are good. But towards the end I definitely had a sinking feeling in my stomach while reading. Wu proposes that the nature of the …