Face Off With Facebook

The social networking service started by Mark Zuckerberg along with his fellow Harvard roommates in 2004 is today available in 111 languages, in most countries of the world and boasts a staggering 2.8 billion monthly active users, according to its Wikipedia page.

While that in itself is impressive, what is consequential is that Facebook Inc. has acquired close to a hundred companies in the past decade, including those with substantial user bases like WhatsApp and Instagram. It’s a strategy considered monopolistic; most acquisitions were to stifle competition and were often shut down.

The TIPP Poll conducted in late April asked participants, “Please tell me the extent to which you support or oppose breaking up of Facebook to prevent it from becoming a potential monopoly.” More than half of those who took part in the survey were in favor. The data reads,