Are tech companies becoming countries; users citizens?

What defines a country? Borders? Culture? Currency? And what do companies like Google, Amazon, and Facebook have? Digital territory, followers, likes and points. Could these digital giants be creating a new way to view citizenship? Or, at least, outside governmental influence?

The power of the powerful

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. This has been an axiom for centuries; where kings and rulers have had few, if any, limitations. With international companies gaining more money than they know what to use it on, fines and penalties are proving ineffective at curbing their bad actions.

And with more users than most small countries, who is more important to, say, Facebook: the supreme court or its 2.4 Billion citizens—I mean, followers?

Ultimately, with Facebook being international, if US regulations become too strict, why not just relocate servers? After all, digital space isn’t confined by geographical borders. And as these tech giants look to make internet available worldwide, they’re effectively creating infinite territory to control. Add cryptocurrency to the mix, and there’s very little left to differentiate digital giants from governments.

As these companies infiltrate our consciousness through clever algorithms and convenient shipping, they are creating a culture, governing behavior, and redefining borders. It may be time to rethink what a country really is—and whose citizen you truly are.  

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