Different business models have evolved for providing information on the Internet, including search engines, which make money from advertising; subscription web sites; and free web sites which drive off-line sales. Scholars examine the evolution of this marketplace and its implications for content providers and businesses.
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TAP Blog
University of Virginia media studies professor Siva Vaidhyanathan discusses his new book, Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy.
August 14, 2018
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Upcoming Events
Law and Economics of Data
November 14, 2018, Boulder, CO
Internet Platforms’ Rising Dominance, Evolving Governance
February 10, 2019, Boulder, CO
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Fact Sheets
Search engines – such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, and a variety of other smaller search engines – help users find what they are looking for online by finding web pages that match user-entered keywords. Search engines are free to users, but typically earn revenue through paid advertising.
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"Commercial and political entities are able to exploit the targeting and predictive power of Facebook through its advertising system. Through what we reveal on our profiles, other Facebook users can watch and track us as we build or break relationships with others, move around, recommend and comment on various posts, and express our opinions and preferences. And governments use Facebook to spy on citizens or anyone they consider suspicious, either by establishing Facebook accounts that appear to be those of friends or allies or by breaking through Facebook security to gather data directly." — Siva Vaidhyanathan, Professor of Media Studies, University of Virginia
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Featured Article
This paper examines the effects of trademark use in advertisements by third-party resellers.
October 31, 2012
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