- Network effects refers to products “that get more valuable every time they win a new customer” (pg. 2). - You join a platform because some of your friends are there, and then your other friends join because you are there. - Meanwhile, switching costs are what users give up when they leave a platform. - Now you aren’t just leaving the friends that brought you to a platform; you’re leaving *all* of your friends. - You’re also leaving behind large amounts of data, content, and other connections. - This is also impactful when thinking about harassment. It’s why people stay on platforms they don’t want to be on, or where they’re being harassed – sure there are lots of bad people there, but there’s also *everyone you know*. - Platforms can protect themselves from losing users by increasing their switching costs, but this requires some shady practices because [[computers are universal which gives them inherently low switching costs and intrinsic interoperability]].