ABSTRACT
In chapter 5 we looked at the rise of proprietary consumer networks-a phenomenon driven by the rapid computerisation of US and European homes-and the emergence of the Internet as a mainstream online environment. In this chapter, we will focus on the single most important subset of the Internet for commercial activity-the World Wide Web. We will examine in particular the main basis for commercialising the Web and outline the key means of generating revenue from Web sites. Through examining its commercialisation, we will also be able to make sense of its devastating impact on the traditional business model of proprietary networks.
