An Analysis of the Development Dilemma of Baidu Tieba from the Perspective of Platform Capitalism

Abstract

Baidu Tieba has become one of the favorite online entertainment sites for many Internet citizens over the last decade. However, it faces obvious development difficulties nowadays. The business model of platform capitalism is mainstream in some platform firms, which is more competitive in the market. This study hopes to use the business model of platform capitalism to find out the reason for the development dilemma of Baidu Tieba. Meanwhile, it can illustrate the relationship between platform capitalism and platform firms. The paper will analyze Baidu Tieba as a network platform product in detail and compare it with other platform companies dominant in the market. In conclusion, there are three significant factors leading to the decline of Baidu Tieba: Firstly, the advertising model of Baidu Tieba impedes user interaction and imposes labor exploitation on users. Secondly, the social function of Baidu Tieba is separated from offline social life, so Baidu Tieba fails to benefit from the network effect. Lastly, the core business of Baidu Tieba is limited, lacking the monopolistic tendency to expand and gain a superior position in the market.