So, like, three gifts at once?

Though, citation needed. The web was created by public funds, in a European public institution. The internet by army funds, in a US public institution.

What we call capitalism is just a way of organizing the economy that emerged circa 14-15th century (people have almost always bought and sold things, but not in a capitalist context).

Historically capitalism has never been the only game in town (and I'm not talking about communism either).

Whole societies and empires rose and flourished without it -- and they could have just as well created social media too, if they had the technology at the time. They have created tons of great stuff we now build upon anyway.

>These services don’t control ‘the’ flow of information, they are entirely additive to what we had before. Arguing that we have worse options for communication now is bizarre.

Of course they control the flow of information, that's how they make money.

That they don't control "the whole flow" or that they don't hold people at gunpoint to dictate their own flow is irrelevant for what we're discussing.

It's enough that they control a large enough flow, for enough people, to be hugely (and negatively) influential in the flow of overall information.

And of course, they're not neutral to the flows they allow.