There are certain questions in life that address the issues of economic growth, whereby others are mostly for personal benefit. Questions such as ‘what is a novated lease?’ fall in the latter category, but viewing Amazon as a potential threat to the global industry is another. Everyone who has ever played Monopoly as a child understands one thing. Monopolization offers benefits to one body, while taking from the rest of the population. In this case, Amazon may be growing so big that it’s hedging out smaller companies and snuffing out entire livelihoods.
According to The Independent, the trillion-dollar company is not only creating more problems than the convenience it offers, it also poses a threat to worker health and safety. We need regulations in place to keep the working environment and economy healthy, and surrendering all power to one giant corporation means that they get to call all the shots. Without appropriate competition, a leader has no motivation for improvement. However, following the fact that the world is becoming increasingly vocal and more united than ever before thanks to social media and media in general, corporate giants such as Amazon have to tread lightly because the cancel culture is very real. Put one toe out of line, and they will have to suffer the consequences of the power of the masses… Or do they?
Boycotting a company that has grown overly large may not be as easy as it seems. Sure, you might be able to reject purchasing on their e-commerce platform or reject their online video streaming service, but can you really ensure that nothing in your life is powered by Amazon? They are in our hardware, our software, in the cloud, they are in our homes and media. The Washington Post is a company owned by Jeff Bezos, and his reach is only going to get bigger. At what point is too much power for any one person?
According to the CEO of Amazon, he claims that Amazon is not too big to die, and mentions that most giant corporations see a decline within 30 years, but that’s before the digital age, before we had the technology to create a sustainable business plan that feeds off multiple industries. A corporation like Amazon, with roots in everything from books to space travel, will not die easily. Our only hope is that they do not turn sinister, or that a competitor is able to rise up and the two giants may keep each other in check.
So far, Amazon has been doing right by the consumers that have helped Amazon find its success, and they continue to preach transparency while staying true to their ethos. Prices have remained low, and the quality of their products have not deteriorated. However, with their smart home technologies, consumers are concerned that Amazon is slowly crossing the bridge and expanding the grey area from where they operate. Having Alexa eavesdrop on your conversations is an unnerving thought, but the tech goliath has prepared for the privacy concerns of their consumers and has listed on their website how Alexa works and operates, offering consumers the capability to delete everything they have ever said to the home assistant or deleting what you have just said. At the present moment, Amazon seems to be doing everything right.
