Future Technology Takeovers

Upon reading the first few chapters of Snow Crash, there were a couple of main points that stuck out to me. The first point I found very interesting was how the author made many of how our government services, such as highways and public transportation, into monopolies owned by by fictional major corporations. In Snow Crash, there were two main interstate companies: Fairlanes Incorporated and Cruiseways Incorporated. It is interesting to me that government services are no longer a standard, but are owned and operated as a business. The users of the roads choose which they prefer based upon what they offer; it's competitive businesses within public transportation. The author is using the idea that as we progress further into our technological world, we will enter into a monopolized and competitive environment.

The other somewhat related point I wanted to touch on was the fact the author has "franchised" almost every single element of life in Snow Crash. It is quite evident our society even today has shifted to franchises for some goods and services, but in Snow Crash, everything from haircuts to religion is operated in the franchise system. In fact, ironically, it seems the only non-franchise business itself is the Mafia-owned pizza delivery company the Deliverator works for. It is intriguing to see how our society can transition to this franchise style of life because it in fact seems evident today.