Digital Domination: The Duopoly of Facebook and Google

Facebook and Google dominate the internet. On their own, they are powerful properties—then factor in how Google owns YouTube and Facebook owns Instagram and you realize just how iron-strong their grip is.

According to fresh data from comScore, these two companies own the eight most popular mobile apps. Facebook leads them all with an incredible 79% reach, followed by Messenger at 65%. Google then claims the next five in a row: YouTube Maps, Play, Search, and Gmail. In eighth is Instagram. Screen Shot 2016-06-24 at 8.09.48 AM

But it’s not just mobile apps that these two tech titans own. The top two online video content search properties are Google and Facebook. And the top two multi-platform digital properties? Again, Google and Facebook.

We should not be surprised, of course. Everyone has a Facebook account and everyone searches Google and these companies have been smart about growing their vast networks. Still, it’s pretty crazy—and perhaps a touch scary—to consider how far, and how deep, they reach.