Does Size Matter?

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Size applies to many things: bankroll, education, experience, farms, homes, intellect, reputation (and height and weight) and on and on. Let's look at a few examples:.

The growth of gigantic Internet platforms. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and their dominant corporations should ring alarm bells—not just because they hold so much economic power but also because they wield so much control over political communication. These behemoths now dominate the dissemination of information and the coordination of political mobilization. That poses unique threats to a well-functioning democracy. 

How? Good question. Big-tech regulatory fears came to a head when shares of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Alphabet and Netflix all started falling while the Dow Jones industrial average soared. Then House Democrats recommended Congress curb anti-competitive practices of Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook by taking action including "forcing tech companies to be broken up.” *

My wife goes to a large Grocery store and it records what she purchases. Pretty soon the mail arrives with bargains for some of these items thanks to high tech. The same thing happens when Big Techs keep track of items and purchasers and sells this info to other Big Techs for profiteering and so on. Politicians likewise profit from each other in various ways and sooner or later it can backfire.

Former President Trump got into trouble with Twitter not only with his demeanor (behavior and deportment) but politics and eventually was discharged, even with his wealth and lofty position. Professors with high degrees, tenure and reputation can get demoted for sundry reasons. Even church leaders with prominence get into trouble by withholding information of misbehavior from their subordinates.

Size, stature, success, reputation, affluence and good luck are not always recognized or acknowledged. So depending primarily on these attributes can be frustrating and misleading, or challenging and promising. Watch headlines for signs of size indicators. It is becoming more and more popular with mixed results.

On the other hand, Globalization (economic progress) has often been blamed for the rapid rise in obesity in much of the developing world. However, with economic resources increasingly concentrated at the top of the wealth and income ladders in the United States, the political power to influence and make policy increasingly resides with a tiny minority of people who are accruing the most from U.S. economic growth.

Does size really matter?   

* Editor's note: the federal government has been weak on anti-trust action through both Republican and Democratic adminsitrations for more than 40 years. It was only recently, driven by the Congressional hearings with Facebook and other Big Tech, that there has been renewed interest in breaking up some of Big Tech and returning to stricter anti-trust oversight.