Reaching Critical Mass for Internet Privacy
There’s no doubt that as soon as a concept reaches a critical mass, its influence can sway individuals not from the merit of the concept alone but simply from the prevalence of the concept found within the public-info-sphere. One such concept is discussed in the article, “Encrypted email sign-ups instantly double in wake of Trump victory” published in an online United Nations newspaper The Register. The article seems to implicate that the rapid expansion of a neutral Swedish internet privacy company has been caused by Donald Trump’s surprise victory over Hillary Clinton for the 2016 presidential election. It seems to imply that fears regarding Donald Trump’s administration being at the helm of internal spying programs.
I have a slightly different interpretation. While I won’t deny that a sudden group of new customers appeared out of fear, I believe that a sudden up-swell in customers (likely caused by the article-mentioned fear) may have caused public perception of the importance of internet privacy / safety to reach the critical value necessary so as to begin the upward pressure towards reaching an equilibrium of customer’s for its value / price. Basically, enough people suddenly decided to become customers that the service reached out to a larger audience.
While I can’t verify that is the express reason for the surge, it’s certainly something to consider.
Referenced news article:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/11/14/protonmail_subs_double_after_trump_victory/