• February 20, 2017
• on Marketing, What's to come...
• by TLj Creative Marketing

The Splinternet: What Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs Should Know

The splinternet (also known as internet balkanization) is referred to the concept of internet splintering and dividing because of the presence of various factors that include nationalism, politics, technology, commerce, and religion.

This article discusses the affect that splinternet is likely to have on organizations and entrepreneurs that depend on the internet for conducting their business activities.

Causes of the Splinternet:

According to a majority of the tech experts, the internet will be challenged by trends and problems that will disrupt the manner in which it has worked up until now. The key areas of threat to the ‘open’ internet of today are:

• Actions that are being taken by nation-states to maintain political and security control.
• Corporate surveillance and security concerns of governments will lead to greater surveillance of internet activities in the future by authorities.
• Commercial pressures affect the architecture of the Internet and its flow of information.
• Efforts that are being taken to fix the too much information (TMI) problem thwart content sharing.

Implications of the Splinternet for Businesses:

Now that we understand what factors are likely to endanger (and alter) the open internet of today, let us take a look at what the implications of this are for eCommerce, small businesses, and entrepreneurs:

• The ability to serve (and reach out to) a global audience will be significantly reduced because the internet will now be subject to segmentation with each region following its own regulation and standards. Businesses will be cut off from certain markets (potentially ones that they are generating significant profits from).

• Small businesses and upcoming entrepreneurs may now have a better opportunity of competing online since the likes of Amazon, Google, or eBay will lose their global dominance. However, the chances of growth and long-term success will eventually be lower for these businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Privacy policies and security concerns in some regions will take away some of the key advantages that online businesses can harvest through the internet. These include user profile creation for better understanding of the customer base, customized recommendations for improved conversion rates, and social-marketing which is one of the most economical and effective marketing strategies today.

While there are certainly some short-term benefits that the splinternet may possess for small businesses and entrepreneurs, there are very few that would want to have a segmented, privatized, and protectionist internet in the future. Particularly because it will take away benefits such as freedom, global reach, and cost-effectiveness for online businesses.

 

This article was written because one of my Instagram followers asked me to explain this subject. Feel free to post a comment about subject you’d like written.

For Internet Marketing assistance contact me at 312 798 9332 or info@tishalittlejohn.com.

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