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The Net, is this it?

Right now the internet is filled with defacto monopolies.

If you want to search for something using an old-fashioned search engine then Google is probably it.

If you're looking for a social media site where you can stay in touch with friends and family than odds are that you'll be Facebooking.

Want to watch or upload some video of more than a few seconds duration and YouTube is your go-to site whereas for those shorter vids you'll find that TikTok dominates.

And, if short-form messaging is your thing, then X (formerly known as Twitter) is the place to be... as Mark Zuckerberg has recently discovered to his cost.

Yes, it appears that despite all Meta Corp's wealth and massive online presence, he has been unable to leverage that success into anything like significant competition to X (which I shall, from this point forward, refer to as Twitter).

During the first few weeks after Meta launched their Twitter rival "Threads" it almost looked as if it was going to steal a significant chunk of Musk's market share... and then it tanked.

As of now, Threads use has halved when compared to that initial surge of interest and that trend continues to head for the ocean floor.

What went wrong?

Given the huge levels of discontent expressed by many Twitter users after Musk's take-over, surely Threads should be the darling child right now and blessed with continued growth plus huge popularity. Why have people fallen out of love with Threads so very quickly, even after Musk tried to bury the blue bird with a big X?

My best guess is that Zuckerberg forgot the wisdom which says "You only get one chance to make a first impression" and he is now paying the price for that.

The reality seems to be that Threads came up short on features and essential functionality.

For example, I was going to give it a try for shirts and giggles but found two hurdles:

First of all, I'd need an Instagram account.

Why?

Instagram is a platform I have zero interest in. Not for me, laying on a beach and posting pictures of my Adonis-like bronzed body for all the world to stand in awe of. Sorry but I'm just not interested in signing up for two services when one was all I wanted.

Secondly, there was virtually no support for desktop computing.

Threads appears to be a bust unless you're tied to your smartphone and think it's fun to type with your thumbs. Don't get me wrong, I think opposable thumbs are a cool idea and essential for maintaining our status at the top of the food chain but where I come from they're just not built for pressing any part of a keyboard except the space bar.

Then there was the lack of basics. No hashtag support? WTF... this is a Twitter essential and to not include it makes Threads little more than an "also ran" right out of the gate.

Now I'm not a big Twitter user but even I could see, after reviewing the above, that Threads was going to be a bust for all the real hardcore Twitter users and although they might "give it a go", they were unlikely to be swayed towards the dark-side that is Meta.

So, as I suggested at the top of today's column, we're stuck with an internet were it becomes very, very difficult to dislodge the defacto monopolies created by the market dominance of a few very big players.

Even the undeniable might of Meta just didn't stand a chance to dethrone Twitter because to do so requires that you get *everything* just right. You can't afford to overlook even the smallest detail if you want to become a challenger -- no matter how much money and existing presence you have elsewhere on the Net.

Once Google implements its proposed DRM for the Net things will only get worse... much, much worse because they will become the gatekeeper and weild great control over even their most powerful competitors. Hint... if you're planning an assault on some of Google's dominance, you'd better get started right now, while you still have a chance.

Carpe Diem folks!

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