网络媒体的经济外部性问题探讨

An Exploration on the Economic Externality of Network Media

随着互联网的普及,网络作为一种新型媒体迅速崛起。网络媒体在迅猛发展的同时,也暴露出很多经济问题,其中,外部性问题就是一个不容忽视的经济现象。按照公共经济学的经济外部性理论,网络媒体的外部性问题分为正外部性和负外部性两个方面。正外部性主要表现在以梅特卡夫法则为中心的一系列网络效应和由此引起的各种经济效应;负外部性主要表现在缺乏法律、道德上的规范和约束所造成的不良影响,以及信息发布不当给消费者带来的负效应。采取政府调节和进一步健全法律法规的措施来矫正网络媒体的外部性,促进其社会效用达到最优状态。

With the popularization of the Intemet, networks as a new medium is developing rapidly. However, during the development, there arise a lot of economic phenomena, among which economic externality is an important one which cannot be ignored. According to the economic externality theory in public economy, the economic externality in network media falls into two sides： positive externality and negative externality. The positive externality is mainly reflected in a series of network effects centering around Metcalfe＇s Law and various corresponding economic phenomena, and the negative extemahty in being devoid of criteria and restrictions in law and morality, and some negative effects caused by the absence and improper spread message to the consumers. The government should therefore reinforce the law and take proper measures to rectify the externality of network media for the optimization of the social effects.