Internet oligopoly: the corporate takeover of our digital world

Introduction. The internet as a political issue ; The necessary critique of the digital political economy

1. The commodification of the internet. The legacy of ARPA ; The information society and the post-industrial economy ; The deregulation of Telecom and the neoliberal turn ; From counterculture to the commodification of cyberculture

2. The privatisation of the internet. Information highways leading to internet privatisation ; Internet start-up culture meets venture capital ; The 'irrational exuberance' of the new economy and of convergence

3. The conditions leading to the emergence of the internet oligopoly. The internet's effect on the information economy ; Financialisation and deregulation benefitting an oligopoly ; Globalised companies and strategies ; Exploiting labour: a pillar of the oligopoly's profitability

4. The oligopoly's strategies for integration and infomediation. Infomediation: a key function of the internet ; The vertical integration of the oligopoly ; The horizontal concentration of the internet

5. The advertising dominance of the internet. The critique of advertising ; Advertising on the internet ; Collecting and using users' data ; Resisting and regulating online advertising (or lack thereof)

Conclusion.