How much economic influence do you think tech companies have?
How much economic influence do you think tech companies have?
When I say tech companies, you say … ?
According to the latest Marketplace-Edison Research Poll, 78 percent of Americans think financial institutions and big tech companies such as Amazon, Apple and Google have a good amount or great deal of impact on the United States economy.
Respondents also think these tech companies and financial institutions have greater influence than the president, Congress and American workers.
What makes these findings significant, according to Marketplace Tech host Molly Wood, is that it is unified — respondents of different genders, races and even political affiliation generally agreed.
But when we talk about a good amount or great deal of impact, what exactly does that mean? We spoke with a few folks who participated in our poll to find out what they thought.
Name: Gabriel Berry
Location: New York
What she thinks: It’s hard to deny that Amazon has taken over all aspects of my life. In my case, I’m a costume designer. You know, at this point, about 99 percent of that for me is taking place on online shopping rather than going into real stores. It’s coupled with this expectation that I will get the things I ordered the next day or the day after. You begin to rely on that immediate gratification, which generally is coming from badly paid people hustling their butts for not enough money to get those things to me.
Name: Frank Pflieger
Location: Pennsylvania
What he thinks: Look at Amazon … and what’s the other big one? Google. The way they sell — where they are selling everything, and they’re killing the little guy out there on the street trying to make a living, and they have a big influence on all people.
Name: Ruthie Oland Stuckey
Location: Massachusetts
What she thinks: I find the question really confusing, actually. I think the economy is so much based on people’s feeling of confidence. And so tech companies, which get so much play in our media, tend to get a lot of airspace, and so depending on how they’re doing I feel like influences the way everybody else feels about how hopeful our economic future is or not.
What type of impact do you feel tech companies have on the American economy? Email us at talktous@marketplace.org to let us know what you think!
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