Written by Harsh Mehta
Edited by Vyakhya Vashishth
Illustrated by Tanisha Som
When we think about contemporary society, one of the first thoughts we have is polarization. Everyone seems to be divided along one side or another, and everyone is expected to pick a side. Coke or Pepsi? Xbox or Playstation? Adidas or Reebok? Apple or Android? Intel or AMD? PC or Mac? Left or Right? You NEED to have a stance. However, what if I told you that the choice between the two was merely an illusion put there by design?
There are multiple facets to the illusion. In the case of rivalries like Adidas and Reebok, Facebook and Instagram, OkCupid and Tinder, Nike and Converse, and many more, they’re completely manufactured. The example brands I’ve mentioned are quite literally owned by the same company with a manufactured rivalry to act as marketing for the general public. They might even ‘feud’ on Twitter to get people a little excited, it gives people a false sense of personalisation for these companies. The psychology basically goes “Hey look, this company Twitter account gets into petty, vapid arguments too”. Other examples include:
KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
Rayban, Oakley, LensCrafters and Sunglass Hut. This group controls 80% of the world’s eyeglasses brands.
Thumbs Up, Fanta, Coca Cola, Limca and Sprite.
Kurkures, Lays and Cheetos.
Dove, Lifebuoy, Lux and Pear.
And many more.
In the world of tech-related rivalries, there are major Juggernauts. The console wars have been raging on the internet since its inception. Playstation or Xbox? Everyone has their favorite, but it really isn’t even close. If pesky antitrust laws (laws that prevent companies from becoming monopolies to stoke competition in the market) weren’t holding Microsoft (Xbox’s parent company) back, then it could very easily just buy Sony (Playstation’s parent company). Sony has a market cap of about 130 billion dollars, whereas Microsoft is the second most valuable company, chilling at a market cap of a cool 2.33 TRILLION DOLLARS. Sony doesn’t even crack the top 100 list. Before the acquisition of Activision-Blizzard, the biggest tech acquisition in history for almost 70 billion dollars earlier this year, Microsoft had over 140 billion dollars in liquid on-hand money. They could’ve just as easily bought up the supposed competition. The same applies to Apple and Android, Apple is the most valuable company in the world, so it can buy all of its competition in one fell swoop if not for antitrust restrictions.
On the other side, there’s the legendary tale of Microsoft and Apple and the supposedly competing Mac and Windows. Back in August of 1997, Microsoft shook the tech industry by investing 150 million dollars into a nose-diving Apple. This helped save the company that now reigns supreme as the highest valued company of all time, even above its savior, Microsoft. Steve Jobs was on the cover of TIME magazine that year, thanking Bill Gates personally for the investment. However, the story doesn’t quite seem quite as noble when you look at the background of Microsoft around that time and learn that the company was being investigated for anti-competitor activity at the time and could have had the antitrust book thrown at them at any moment. Even now, the existence of the other side acts as an advertisement for both companies. Windows/Microsoft is seen as the affordable and bang-for-the-buck option while Mac/Apple is seen as the premium, curated experience of using a computer system.
To explore another sinister illusion of choice, let’s take a look at the realm of ISPs, or internet service providers. Before the turbulent and utterly market collapsing arrival of Jio, it was quite a stagnant scene, with Airtel and Vodafone being two entities that controlled prices as well as stifled innovation to limit data costs on their end. Jio saw an opportunity and stole a massive market share the two companies will never get back completely. Services were made cheaper, better and more reliable thanks to the market upset. The US ISP scene isn't quite so fortunate, however. There is a complete monopoly on the market in certain states, and consumers have no competitors to turn to. The few companies that exist have also started price-gouging and let reliability take a nosedive. However, due to the archaic nature of antitrust laws, the lack of enforcement and amendment and the administration at the time of the rise of these ISPs, nothing can be done to kick these companies into high gear.
There’s nowhere the evils of lack of choice can be seen more evidently than the US medical system. There is no sizable public option for the working class or the middle class, so one visit to the hospital can bankrupt an entire family. How has it reached such an inflated state, you ask? Co-operation and price-fixing by drug manufacturing companies. Price-jumps can literally be tracked in step-formations in incredibly short time frames. The only time people are held accountable for it is when they publicly act like cartoon villains when they do it, like the case of Mike Schreli, who still faced tiny consequences for incremental increases in the prices of life-saving drugs. There is no real alternative, so these companies literally hold the lives of thousands of people in their hands, who are unable to do anything about it except for advocacy for a public option. A public option that is rabidly opposed by medical lobbies across the US. Even if you want to try to enact change, you're powerless. You're standing against megalithic entities of enormous power, which is practically impossible without organizing. There exist no real choices for people who don’t have insane amounts of money. Sure, you can choose between insurance providers, but all of them have incredibly tiny contrivances and try to weasel their way out of paying for the service in every way they can. This means that the working class is trapped between a rock and a hard place. All you can do is yell out for change or wiggle between insurance providers, struggling for survival.
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