As you mentioned, there seems to be a “balkanization” of the internet into (mostly) proprietary platforms (social networks, super apps).

With the same capabilities organically emerging along everywhere (payments, real identity and reputation, media publishing, audience interaction, embedded software, services).

The incentives for this is to own the audience or to own the transaction.

If there were a new set of incentives, for an example if, in a next phase, a lot of the major infrastructure becomes public utilities (search, social/fan graphs, access to the phone’s hardware capabilities, frictionless transactions)…

Then it makes sense to have, once again, unified protocols. Like if the www and the app stores had a baby. Then you have the browser for this… and off you go.